Koko Ni Iru Yo!
by Maidenstear
Summary: Meet Fujita Saki, a normal high school girl. "Wait, what? You want me to become an idol?" Welcome to the world of Vocaloid, Fujita-san.
1. Chapter 1

Aneko: And here comes a Vocaloid fanfiction. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Vocaloid. I wish I owned one of the programs, though…

* * *

><p><em><strong>Koko Ni Iru Yo!<strong>_

_**Chapter One**_

"It's this girl, right here."

A folder was dropped in front of him on his desk. He opened it, glancing at the picture of the smiling young girl inside before looking up at his subordinate.

"You're certain?"

"I am."

"Good. I would not want you to repeat the same mistake that you made last time."

"I swear, sir. The data has been checked by myself and at least ten others. It _can't _be wrong this time."

"Well have ten more check it. I won't start moving on with the project until we know for sure that it's her."

"But—"

"Do it! Or do you want to find a new job?"

The employee scurried out of the room as fast as he could to carry out his orders.

The man turned his chair toward the window, looking up at the sky. He hummed a quiet tune under his breath as a soft smile spread across his features.

* * *

><p>"Saki!"<p>

A young girl looked up from unpacking her school books at the sound of her name, smiling when she saw her friend. "Riko-chan! Good morning!"

"Good-mor-ning!" Riko chirped happily, bouncing on her heels.

"What's got you so happy this morning?" Saki asked curiously.

"This!" Riko shoved a magazine right under her nose.

Saki blinked before staring, a little cross-eyed down at the page. "Wha…?"

"Look right here!" Riko put the magazine down and tapped an article on the open page. "The 'Vocaloids' project is about to premiere! There's just one week left." She was almost squealing with excitement.

"Oh yeah, you've been talking about that for ages…"

"For good reason! It's going to be so awesome!"

"What do you even know about it?" Saki asked. "Hasn't the whole thing been some big secret? There's no date. How do you know it's coming out next week?"

Riko's eyes glittered as she gave a rather canine smile. "I have my ways." And she sounded proud of it.

"Well that's a bit…creepy…"

"Just look!" Riko pointed. "You see these four people?"

Saki noted the two girls and two boys. "What about them?"

"They're what all the fuss is about. They're going to be the head of the project. New idols who are said to have voices so amazing it's almost inhuman."

Saki rested her head in her head. "Yeah, right."

"No, really! They say that they can sing any octave whatsoever."

Saki's attention span was quickly drifting from her friend. "Well, that certainly _is _inhuman, and I doubt they'd be able to do that. It's not possible for humans to sing all octaves…maybe they were given steroids."

"Saki!" Riko squealed. "That's not funny! Aren't you excited about this?"

Saki sighed. "Not really…" She had nothing against music. She actually really liked it. But Riko was just so…obsessed over it that it wore her out every day. Saki had bands that she liked, and she had posters and CDs, but she didn't follow the trends, like Riko did. She just liked what she liked. And the Vocaloid thing just sounded like a new trend that Riko had picked up. As soon as the next thing came along, Riko would drop what interested her at the moment and pick the new one up. Saki had watched it time and again without fail.

At least it made her easy to shop for.

"You're no fun, Saki."

"I think I can live with that."

"Oh, you!"

She sounded like she had a mind to say a few other things, but the class bell rang right at that moment, sparing Saki from a further tirade.

"We'll talk later," Riko said, and with a wave, scooted to her desk a few rows over before the teacher began talking.

_Yep, I'm sure we will…_

* * *

><p>Saki packed her school books up, rolling her head on her shoulders a little to relieve some sore muscles. School was over for the day, and she was happy to get a break from Riko's ranting. She hadn't stopped talking all day, and now, since she had club practice, Saki could go home by herself.<p>

Saki wasn't sure what club she wanted to join. Nothing really seemed to fit her. She had tried going to a few of the sports clubs, and the art, photography and cooking clubs, but she hadn't found one that really clicked with her yet, so she was still looking. There was still sometime before the school year got into full swing, so she wasn't that worried, but she hoped that she would be able to find one she liked.

Friends lingered in the shoe locker hallway, having a few last-minute conversations before heading off to clubs, going home, or going to hang out. Saki took her time leaving. She didn't have anywhere to be besides home, so she didn't have to rush.

Saki hummed quietly to herself as she walked down the street. It was a beautiful day. The sky was one of the bluest she had ever seen, and the air was crisp and deep. Saki was so busy looking up at the sky that she wasn't watching where she was going, and suddenly, she ran right into someone. With a gasp of surprise and a rain of loose papers, she tumbled to the ground.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" As the last of the papers fell to the ground, Saki looked up and saw…blue. Lots of blue. It was a guy, probably older by the look of it. His hair was a beautiful, startling shade of blue. What Saki found odd was his (also blue) scarf, and long sleeves. Why he was wearing such cold-weather clothing on such a nice day, she couldn't fathom.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Here, let me help you up." He offered her his hand, still looking concerned. Even his eyes were blue.

Saki smiled, giving a little laugh. "I'm okay, really. I just fell over, that's all." She looked down at her feet, noting the scattered papers all over the pavement. They were pieces of sheet music. "We better get these off the ground," she suggested, and bent over to start gathering them together.

"Oh, right!" He started collecting them too, and within a few seconds, all the music was secure in his hands again. He grinned at her. "Thanks for helping me." Tucking the music under one arm, he offered her his hand. "My name is Kaito."

"I'm Saki," she replied, shaking his hand. Frowning, she studied his face, her head tilted to one side. "Wait a second…"

"What is it?"

Saki's face cleared up. "You were one of those people in Riko's magazine. You're part of the Vocaloid thing coming out."

He grinned wider. "You've heard about it?"

"Only because my friend won't stop talking about it. She's a bit…obsessed."

"Ah. I see."

Saki noticed one of the sheets under his arm. Uncertain of what she had seen, she squinted at it. "Wait a second…is that…a picture of _me_?"

Kaito blinked, following her gaze, and then his eyes widened. He spluttered. "Oh, uh, yeah, see, it's—I mean I'm not—it's not what you—" Saki crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. Kaito sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, I overreacted. The truth is, I was sent to look for you."

"By who?"

"My employer, who started the Vocaloid project."

A moment of silence fell between them.

"Come again?"

"I was sent to find you by the President of the company that I work for. Actually, we wanted you to join us in this project, to be one of the Vocaloid idols."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. So a President—from a real company—wanted to find me?...Are you playing a joke on me?" Saki felt slightly dizzy. She couldn't have just been _scouted_, could she?

"No! No, I promise it isn't a joke! Here, let me show you—the president gave me this letter in case you wanted proof." Kaito sorted through the papers and pulled out a pristine manila envelope. Saki took it, giving him a skeptical look, and broke the seal on the back. The paper inside was official looking, with the company logo printed in one corner.

_Dear Fujita Saki-san,_

_I assume that right now you are probably very confused, and very distrusting of what you are being told right now. I understand that you probably find it hard to believe. I have sent one of my employees to look for you and offer you a job at my company. Please understand that you do not have to agree with this if you do not want to, but we would sincerely enjoy having you at our company. If you are interested, Kaito can assist you with any questions you might have. If you need some time to think about this offer, please contact the number in this letter if you would like to join us. I look forward to hopefully hearing from you, Fujita-san._

_Yours Truly,_

_Yamaha Saito._

"So?" Kaito looked down at the letter. "What do you think?"

"Um...I don't know…" Saki frowned. "It just all seems so...so…"

"Sudden?" Kaito supplied.

"Maybe that's it. It's just that…there's nothing really special about me, you know? I just don't understand _why _you chose me to be…an idol, of all things."

"We didn't choose you, exactly."

"What does that mean?"

"Um…"Kaito looked lost for words. "It's kind of complicated, and kind of a long story… In any case, it seems like you're still not sure. Why don't you just go home and think about it? The boss left the company number. Oh—and here." Kaito took out a pen and scribbled on the corner of the letter Saki still held. "This is my number, if you want someone to talk to about it."

"Okay, thanks." Saki said.

"I know it's unexpected, but we're not trying to force you into anything, so don't worry about it."

"Okay."

"I've got to go, but it was nice to meet you Saki-chan!"

"Yeah, you too…" Saki waved as Kaito left. She glanced down at the letter in her hands again. "...Right."

* * *

><p>"I'm home!" Saki called, kicking off her shoes in the entryway before stepping into the house.<p>

"Welcome home, Saki-chan!" Saki followed the sound of the voice and ended up in the kitchen, where she saw her mother chopping daikon. Fujita Nadoko was a small woman with brown hair. She said she had bleached it when she was younger, and it never turned completely black again. She looked up and smiled when she saw Saki. "How was your day, dear?"

"It was good. Riko was all excited about a new idol sensation that's going to be coming out soon."

"That sounds…interesting."

"Hum. I don't know. She's really excited. Sometimes I think _too_ excited."

Mrs. Fujita chuckled. "Well, you know she's always been like that."

"Yeah. She still tires me out sometimes though…" Saki fell silent for a while. "…Hey, mom?"

"Yes, honey?"

"…No, it's nothing. Never mind."

Her mom paused in her dinner preparations to peer at Saki in concern. "Are you sure? You sounded a little uncertain there."

Saki shook her head. "It's fine. I'm sure."

"Okay. Well, if you're feeling tired or stressed, make sure to get plenty of sleep tonight."

"I will, mom, don't worry." Saki went upstairs to change out of her uniform, throwing her school bag on her bed. She pulled out the letter again, reading the brief statement written.

"I just don't know," she sighed. She had almost told her mom about it, but something had held her back. She didn't know if she wanted to share this with anyone. A part of her immediately rejected the idea that Kaito was telling her the truth, and that this whole idea was a bad idea. Another part of her, though, a much smaller part, was already starting to consider it. Just suppose she did accept? Who knew what could happen?

"But I don't even know what I'd be _doing_," she said aloud. "I know as little about this "Vocaloid Project" as the general public, even though I'm being asked to participate in it." Saki fell onto the pillows on her bed, blowing air through her mouth. "Whatever. I don't want to think about it right now." Saki threw the letter into her school bag and got changed.

* * *

><p>"Saki! Want to go to the library with me after school? I've got a lot of studying to do for the next test."<p>

Saki raised an eyebrow. "How low was it this time?"

Riko reluctantly held up the last test, revealing the angry red mark up in the corner.

"Whoa, a new record," Saki marveled.

"Oh, stop it!" Riko swatted her with the paper as Saki laughed.

"Okay, sure, just let me tell my mom and then we can go."

"Awesome."

Riko dropped her books in a pile on the table. "Okay! This test is critical. I have to pass it with flying colors."

"Why not just settle with passing? Flying colors might be a little difficult."

Riko shook her head. "If I don't do well on this test, Dad's going to take away my cell phone."

"Oh, no! Good luck." Saki pulled out some homework to work on. She wasn't the best student in the class, but she was a pretty good one and didn't need to study as hard as Riko apparently did. They worked in pleasant silence for almost an hour before the thought occurred to Saki. She looked over at Riko and saw that her friend had her nose buried in a textbook. She looked like she might give off sparks if she was touched.

"Hey, Riko?"

"What?" She only sounded like she was giving half of her attention.

"You said that the Vocaloids are coming out in a week right?"

The word 'Vocaloids' pulled Riko away from her book immediately. "Six days and counting!"

"So, they're going to be new idols?"

"Yeah! It's exciting, you know?" The four I showed you are just a small part of it. There's more, but even _I_ couldn't find out what else was involved."

Saki looked out the window. "You sound like you really…admire them."

"Well yeah. Don't you think idols are cool? I mean, everyone watches them and looks up to them. They're really cool. Wouldn't it be awesome to be one?"

"Yeah," Saki mumbled. "I guess it would."

As she left the library, Saki paused at the door, pulling out the letter that was still in her school bag. Almost before she was aware of it, she had pulled out her cell phone and was dialing the number written.

"Hello? This is Fujita Saki…"

* * *

><p>Aneko: End of first chapter! I borrowed Fujita Saki-san's name for this chapter, for reasons which you will understand in the future. Isn't Kaito just a dear?<p>

Well, until next chapter, my dears, stay well.


	2. Chapter 2

Aneko: It's been so long since I've written multi-chapter fanfiction that I'm worried that this will all end badly. Well, hopefully I will manage to entertain you. And now, the _real _fun begins.

Oh, and a heads-up—I'll be using some real Vocaloid songs, and some songs that have been sung by Vocaloids but are not originals. They're all on my favorites list on Youtube, and I'm sure most of you have heard of some of them. I might also throw in a few songs that you've never heard a Vocaloid sing before. Those are just because they're songs that I love. :3

Disclaimer: I do not own Vocaloid. Sadly, my genius is severely lacking in that area (Well it's kind of lacking in most areas, but I digress…)

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

"Hey, Saki-chan!" Saki looked up from her careful observation of the ground and saw Kaito standing in front of her, in the same apparel he had been wearing when she last saw him. "Were you waiting long?"

"No, not at all. I just got here a few minutes ago."

"Oh, good." He sat next to her on the park bench where she had been waiting. "I'm really glad you decided to call me, you know. Boss said that it was likely that you would say no because we seemed too suspicious." He laughed.

"Well, I still haven't said yes…" Saki scuffed at the ground with her shoe, drawing a circle in the dirt. "I just wanted to learn more about it first."

"So you're _curious _at least?"

"Well, yes. Who wouldn't be? A normal high school girl getting scouted? It sounds like something out of a shoujo manga. I keep looking at the letter and thinking that I'm being tricked."

"I guess it does seem kind of surreal, huh?"

"Like you wouldn't believe. But you're not that way, are you? You were born into this, right?"

"Well…" Kaito ran a hand through his blue hair. "My…whole family does this."

"See? It's different. I'm not used to this kind of thing, so it's weird for me. I didn't think things like this actually happened."

They fell silent. Suddenly, Kaito stood up and turned to Saki. "Hey, Saki-chan. You want to go do some karaoke?"

"Huh? Um…sure, I guess," Saki replied, taken a little off-guard.

Kaito grinned. "Don't worry, my treat."

"I haven't been to karaoke for a while," Saki said as they entered the building.

"Really? You don't come with your friends?"

"Mmm…Riko—my friend—she's more into shopping and keeping up with the current trends."

"…Which explains why you knew who I was, right?"

"Exactly. Trust me, it's scary how much that girl knows. She knows that the Vocaloid project is premiering next week. I bet if I asked she'd somehow manage to produce a set of tickets as well."

"Wow. Is she going to be a reporter or something?"

"No. I think she should be, but she says that it's just her intuition. I think it's her intuition and some research that nobody else thinks of."

Kaito laughed. "I think I agree with that."

They entered the booth and Kaito grabbed the microphone, handing it to her. "Ladies first."

Saki stared at the microphone doubtfully. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"What if I sound like a…frog, or something? I could be the worst singer you've ever heard in your life. Or, like, what if I start out okay, but then I go off-key, or—"

Kaito put a hand on her shoulder, and she grew quiet. "Just relax. You're going to be great. Just give it a shot—you won't know until you try."

"Well, okay." Saki accepted the microphone, looking at it like it was an alien. She stepped up to the TV, clearing her throat a little awkwardly. She searched through the songs, deciding on one after a few minutes of uncertainty. She glanced back at Kaito, sitting on the couch, and he gave her an encouraging nod. She bit her lip, and then, as the electric guitar strain started, launched into the song.

_A single marble was dropped,  
>and chasing after it, another one fell<br>in the sunny spot for one—  
>only a single one remains.<em>

_From the time that a person's heart starts beating  
>even if they don't want to, they assume a place<br>and they keep protecting it  
>so that it isn't taken away.<em>

_Even if I kept my hands clean  
>they still seem dirty.<br>Before I question the memory  
>the memory questions me.<em>

_We will surely encounter each other  
>using the sound of our same heartbeat as a sign.<br>I am here, I am always calling out to you.  
>When our exhausted reasons pile up and waver<br>I will know the meaning of being born._

_As long as existence continues,  
>you have no choice but to assume a place.<br>In the sunny spot for one  
>two can't really fit.<em>

_A single marble was dropped,  
>and when it fell, something was forced out.<br>In the place that it took over  
>it was bathed in sunlight<em>

_I counted the footprints I left behind  
>and found they are nothing more than numbers.<br>What I really needed to know may have been  
>between one and zero<em>

_We will encounter each other for the first time,  
>using the flag of our same cry as a sign.<br>Don't forget, I am always calling out to you.  
>When the two of us bury our piled up reasons,<br>we will exchange a promise._

_We're the mirror for each other,  
>in order to reflect our respective karma.<br>By touching it with our dirty hands,  
>we understand its form.<em>

_I am here, surely you can feel me.  
>We are here together in the sunny spot for one.<em>

_Don't forget, I am always calling out to you  
>from the inside of the same marble.<br>Yes, surely we will encounter each other  
>when we raise the cross in our sunken reasons.<br>Our promise will be finished  
>we will become one.<em>

The song ended, and Saki closed her eyes, taking another deep breath.

"That was awesome, Saki-chan!" Kaito cheered, clapping.

Saki couldn't help smiling back at him. His enthusiasm was infectious. "You really think so?"

"Here, why don't we listen to it, and you can find out for yourself." Kaito went over to the machine and fiddled with some buttons. After a moment, he pressed a button, and the same song began to play.

The melody kicked in, and Saki's eyes widened as she heard her voice. She looked up at Kaito. "Is that really me?"

Kaito laughed. "Yes, that's you." Saki sat on the couch, and Kaito sat beside her. "You've never heard yourself sing before?"

She shook her head. "Well, no, not really. It just never really occurred to me that it was something I could do." Saki looked at Kaito. "Since that's the way it is, how does your president know what my voice sounds like?"

Kaito leaned back. "Well, he didn't exactly. I don't really know how he chose you. He was just dead certain that it had to be you. Or at least, that's what he told me. There may be more complicated reasons behind it, but I'm not too sure."

"I see…"

"Sorry. I know I'm not that helpful."

"Oh, no! You've been very kind to help me out like this. It's okay that you can't tell me everything."

"Have you thought about the offer any more?"

"I was thinking about it."

'Well I'm glad that you didn't just say no immediately."

"I haven't talked about it to anyone yet, though."

"That's okay, you don't have to worry about it. Just take it slow. There's time."

"I thought the Vocaloids were holding their first concert next week. Wouldn't I need to decide by then?"

Kaito shrugged. "Not necessarily. The last thing the Boss wants to do is rush you into this, and have you make a decision you would regret. If you're still deciding by next week, I don't know what he'd do, but he'd work around it."

"Um, Kaito-kun…"

"Yes?"

"I'm still not sure what I want to do yet, but do you think it would be possible for me to, I don't know, come see what you…do, exactly?"

"Hmm…" Kaito scratched his head. "Yeah, actually. I think we could do that. How about tomorrow after you get out of school? I could meet you outside your school."

"Ahh, that might not be best." Saki laughed. "If Riko catches sight of you, we wouldn't be going anywhere for a _long_ time."

"Oh yeah, true. Well, why don't we meet here, then? It's not that far from school, right?"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

"Okay. See you tomorrow, then. Don't worry, I'll pay for karaoke, so you can head home now."

"Oh, thanks. Bye." Saki waved to him and left the building. It wasn't until she was almost home that she realized that Kaito did not sing at all during karaoke.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Saki, let's go shopping after school today!" Riko chirped the next morning.<p>

"Oh, Riko, I can't," Saki said. "I already made arrangements with another friend."

Riko's eyebrows rose instantly, and she got a wicked looking glint in her eye. "Is it a _boy_, perhaps?"

Saki's face flamed red. She didn't necessarily see Kaito that way, but of course, Riko just had to go and point that out…especially since she had about zero experience with guys.

"Oh, _I_ see!" Riko said, interpreting Saki's colorful silence. "Yeah, I wouldn't want to get in the way of your _date_."

"It isn't a date!" Saki spluttered. "W-we're just talking about…business!"

Riko rested her head on her hands. "Oh? Are you getting a part-time job?"

"Something like that…"

"Well, I think a job would be great for you."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I mean, you don't do much."

Saki rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Riko."

"No, I mean, you aren't in any clubs, and there isn't a class that you like more than any other. Sometimes you go shopping with me, but I know that you just go because I ask you to. You need to find something that feels, I dunno, _right_ to you. Maybe for you, that's a job."

Saki stared at Riko appraisingly. While her friend could sometimes come off as too light-hearted, she had moments of great insight that Saki had come to appreciate. "That was actually really insightful, Riko."

"I have my moments." Riko sniffed. "Now go get that boy of yours."

"Riko!"

Riko skipped off, laughing. "Make sure to tell me the details later!"

* * *

><p>Saki nearly turned around and went home at least four times on her way to meet Kaito. The only thought that kept her feet moving forward rather than backwards was the thought of the nice, cheerful guy waiting for her. She'd hate to make him wait for nothing. But of course Riko had to go and make her ten kinds of nervous.<p>

He was sitting on a bench outside of the karaoke place they had been in last night, reading a book. When he saw Saki, though, he popped out of his seat, waving with a smile.

"Are you ready to get going?"

"Y-yeah, I guess so?" She hadn't meant it to come out as uncertain as it did.

Kaito laughed. "You don't have to be nervous. We're just going to visit. You don't have to make any commitments."

Saki gave a shaky laugh. "I know." She shook her head and slapped her cheeks slightly.

"Uh…Saki-chan?" Kaito asked. "Are you okay?"

"Mm-hmm." Saki nodded, her hands still on her face.

"Then what…?"

"Preparation."

Kaito laughed. "You're making me feel like this is an exam or something."

_It just might be_…Saki thought.

"Don't worry, I'll be with you the whole time," Kaito reassured her.

"Okay…I guess we should get going then."

"It's actually not far from here, so we can just walk."

Without further ado, he began to lead the way down the sidewalk. He kept up a friendly chatter the whole way to their destination, which put Saki at ease. That is, until they arrived at the office building.

"So, here we are, Saki-chan." Kaito gestured to the tall building in front of them.

"E-eh?" Saki's eyes grew wide as she looked up at the towering monolith before them. "Kaito-kun, this is the Yamaha building? I can't even see the top of it!"

"Yeah, I mean haven't you ever passed it on your way to somewhere else? It's not like it just suddenly appeared here or anything. It's been here for a long time."

"Well, yeah, I've passed this place, but I started to ignore it after a while. I thought it would be, you know, _smaller_…"

"Shall we?"

"Uh, hold on! I don't think I'm ready."

"Nonsense! There's no time like the present."

"Eek! Wait! I haven't prepared my heart yet!"

Kaito laughed. "What, are you receiving a confession, or something? Let's go!"

Grabbing her hand, Kaito set off for the front door.

* * *

><p>Aneko: Stay tuned. ;)<p>

This chapter's song is called Karma and does not belong to me. It was sung by the band Bump of Chicken for the video game, Tales of the Abyss. I chose to use the English translation of the lyrics, because the meaning is nice, a pattern I think I'm going to continue throughout the fiction. If you didn't know, this song is the namesake of the fiction. When sung in Japanese, there is a line that is, "Koko ni iru yo," which translates to "I am here!" I think that it's a very appropriate line for the title.


	3. Chapter 3

Aneko: Whoo, Christmas break. Gotta love it. :)

Diclaimer: I don't own the ingenious idea of Vocaloid. But I do claim the idea for this story!

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter Three<strong>_

When they entered the building, it was a lot quieter than Saki imagined it would be. A smartly-dressed woman was seated behind a reception desk in the middle of a substantial lobby area. There was even a fish tank off to one side that Saki wouldn't have minded diverting her attention to, had Kaito not been dragging her by the hand. He headed past the receptionist, who gave him a brief wave and familiar greeting, before he reached the elevator.

"One hundred floors?" Saki blanched.

"Yup." Kaito pressed the button for level 58. "Most of it is stuff the boss is working on in the company, but there are also several levels with apartments for employees."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Some people are just here working so much that it's easier to live here than to commute every day."

"What about their families?"

"Well, most of them are single, like me."

"Oh, you live here?"

"Uh-huh. It's actually pretty nice, and I don't have to worry about rent since it's the company building. It's comes with the job."

"That's convenient, if nothing else…So, am I going to meet your boss today?"

"I was thinking we should wait on that. The boss can come on kind of strong sometimes, and I don't want him to scare you away when you're still trying to decide for yourself."

Saki giggled. "Is that why he sent you instead of coming to see me himself?"

"I volunteered."

"Then what are we going to do today if I'm not meeting the president?"

"I want to show you around a little and let you take a look at what we do around here—a special tour!"

"Wow, I feel like I've got the VIP pass…"

"Definitely."

The elevator gave a velvet _ding_ as the doors slid open to the 58th floor.

"This is the official floor for the Vocaloid project."

"You have your own floor?"

Kaito shook his head. "It's not just me. There's also—"

"Well, what do we have here?"

Saki looked up and saw a woman with brown hair in a short bob. The shade of red of her clothes complimented her hair color very well, but the skirt was too short for Saki's taste. The woman looked Saki up and down. "Oh, a newbie, huh?"

"She hasn't decided if she wants participate in Vocaloid, Meiko."

"You mean not _yet_." Meiko winked at Saki. "Nice to meet you, cute newbie-chan. My name's Meiko, I hope we can be friends."

"Nice to meet you too. My name's Fujita Saki."

Meiko grinned. "Saki-chan? Cute. I like it. I can even imagine what your costume would look like." She stepped back and closed one eye, framing Saki's face with her hands.

"What are you doing today, Meiko?" Kaito interrupted.

Meiko tapped her chin as she thought. "Well, I was going to a meeting with the boss, and then I was going to go work on my new song until I have to go pick up Len and Rin. I was thinking about stopping by the grocery store later, too."

"Oh! Will you get me some ice cream?" Kaito asked, his eyes bright and hopeful.

"More? But I just bought you some two days ago!"

"Well, it's all gone…" Kaito mumbled, twiddling his thumbs.

Meiko sighed. "If it's on sale." Kaito's grin returned and Meiko rolled her eyes before turning to Saki. "Gotta go. Maybe I'll catch you later, Saki-chan." She waved as she sped off towards the elevator.

"Meiko-san's part of Vocaloid too, huh?"

"Yup. We all—everybody with Vocaloid, I mean—actually live here in this building. She's kind of like a mother to us all. Oh, but don't tell her I said that, or she'll get mad at me."

Saki laughed. "Okay." She paused. "Say, Kaito-kun…"

"Hmm?"

"Meiko-san said that she could imagine what my costume would look like…what did she mean by that?"

"Oh, that. Well, if you decide that you want to join us, the make-up team will give you a "look." A way for people to know you as—well, you. For my design, they went with a blue theme, as you can see." He held out his arms and did a quick turn around.

"So...the long sleeves are a part of the design? But aren't you too hot in this weather?"

Kaito shrugged. "Not particularly. I guess I'm just used to it. And Meiko's clothes are pretty simple, but they're also stylish." Kaito paused.

"What is it?"

"Come on. I want to try something."

"Um…Okay?"

"This way."

They headed back to the elevators, exiting on a lower floor. Kaito beckoned her to follow and opened a door close by. Saki's eyebrows rose. The room inside was a lot bigger than she was expecting. On one side, there was a row of curtains that blocked off a section which Saki assumed hid some supplies or something. Another wall was covered in a row of mirrors, which connected to a row of counters where a number of chairs were drawn up. There were some clothing racks with what looked like a few random articles of clothing hanging there. Two women leaned against the counters, talking in low voices.

"Hey, ladies!" Kaito called, and they both looked up.

"Can we help you, Kaito-san?"

"Yeah, I want you to work on her!"

Saki found herself grabbed by the shoulders and unexpectedly shoved in front of Kaito. She blinked. "Um…hi.?" She waved to the two women.

The brunette raised her eyebrows. "You mean…right now?"

"We don't have any outfits that are ready right now," the other girl added, adjusting her glasses.

"It doesn't have to be perfect. Just…improvise. Please?" Kaito clapped his hands together. "You two are amazing, I can't ask anyone else. I just wanted her to see what it would be like."

"Well…"

"Okay! We _are_ pretty good at improvising." The glasses-girl winked.

They came forward to get a closer to look at Saki, who found herself being poked and pulled at, the corner of her skirt lifted, her hair brushed through. She felt a lot like cattle being inspected before it's sold.

"Hey, not too bad. I think it'll be pretty easy to work with her."

"Yep, almost no makeup, I'd say. What kind of look do you think we should go with?"

"I know the twins already have it, but I think we should go with the school-girl look."

"Sounds good, kind of refreshing. But, like, maybe with a more modern, more computerized look, know what I mean?"

"Oh! Yeah, I totally like that! Let's go with it!"

Still talking, the two women began shooing her toward the curtained area. Saki looked back at Kaito nervously, and he smiled at her reassuringly.

It turned out that the curtained off area was simply a row of dressing rooms, separated into several individual dressing rooms by more curtains.

"Come on, now, don't stop walking." Saki was wrangled into one of the changing area, and then, as one of the women slid the curtain shut, the other snapped open a tape measure. "Now," she said with a sweet smile. "Raise your arms."

* * *

><p>Kaito was waiting in one of the chairs by the counter, leaning back on two feet. They had been in there for a while, and the two costume artists had been appearing from behind the curtains to go and fetch a bit of material every now and then.<p>

"Sorry for the wait—we're finished!" The curtains slid back on their rings as the two designers appeared again. They looked expectedly into the shadowy changing area. "Well, come on, don't be shy."

Kaito's eyebrows rose as Saki stepped forward. Seeing his expression, she blushed. "Does it look bad on me or something?"

Kaito shook his head. "No, it's really cute. You're really cute, Saki-chan."

One of the stylists nodded to herself. "Yeah, you look good in gray…"

She and her coworker smiled at each other. "Good job!" They said in English, giving each other a high five.

"Do you like it?"

"Eh? Well I don't know. I haven't seen it on myself, there were no mirrors…"

"Really? Then look right there." Kaito pointed at the row of mirrors on the opposite wall. Saki met the eyes of her reflection, gasping as she laid eyes on her outfit.

The top was gray, and looked like the top of a school uniform, with the exception that it was sleeveless. It was long, covering the top of her short, black skirt. The black boots she wore nearly reached the bottom of the skirt. Black sleeves started near her shoulders and flared at the bottom. Everything was outlined in a teal trim, and a teal tie adorned the shirt.

"I-It's so cute!" Saki said, giving a little twirl.

"See, I knew this would be a good look on you." The brunette patted her on the back. "You totally rock the computer-girl look."

"Um…thank you?"

She laughed. "No problem."

"Okay, shall we keep going?" Kaito said.

"Sure, just let me change back fir—"

"It's fine like this, let's go!"

Saki's eyes widened. "Huh? Like this? B-but these belong to the company!"

"Just think of it like a souvenir!"

"Are you really allowed to do that…?"

"Sure, why not?"

Saki wasn't convinced by his carefree answer, but she allowed Kaito to lead the way out of the room, and back to the elevator.

"Where are we going now?"

"Now I'm going to give you the full tour."

"Ah, okay!"

"We'll start back on our floor. I'll show you the process from step one."

"Process?"

"Being an idol's not just fun and games you know. Everything has its order."

"I see."

"Okay, starting here." Kaito opened one of the doors that led off the hall.

Saki raised one eyebrow questioningly. "This looks like a science laboratory."

Kaito paused. "Yeah, I guess it kind of does. It's the first step to joining the company. Every employee must have a check up before they start working, to make sure that they're healthy. That includes the idols and regular employees, too."

Saki was only half listening to what Kaito said. As she looked around the room, she felt a strange clamminess on her skin, and she frowned. Her skin was _aching_, in a way that she couldn't really explain.

"Saki-chan?"

In the back of the room, there was a table. It wasn't very big, probably enough room for a child to lay down on, and just made of plain, nondescript metal. There were several computers nearby.

"What is this?"

"It's a check-up table."

"But shouldn't it be large enough for an adult to lay down on?"

"We have two. This one is just for sitting on."

Saki made her way over to it. There was something about this that felt too familiar. But that was impossible—she'd never set foot in the room before in her life. So how could she feel like she'd seen it all before?

"Saki-chan? Are you okay?"

Saki couldn't answer. Her mouth felt glued shut. She hesitated, but put her hand down on the table. It turned out to be a mistake. Her eyes were flooded with light, and as Kaito called her name again, everything turned dark.

* * *

><p>When she opened her eyes again, she suffered a moment of disorientation. The ceiling above her wasn't hers, and there was more light than what usually came in through her bedroom window.<p>

"Saki-chan?'

She blinked and looked over. Kaito was sitting beside her bed.

"Kaito-kun? What happened?" She sat up and looked around. They were in a different room. It looked a lot like her school infirmary.

"Well, you fainted while we were in the check up room. I brought you here to rest, but you weren't out for too long."

"I'm sorry to trouble you."

"Oh, no problem! I'm just glad that it was nothing serious. And, um…"

Saki waited for him to continue, but he said nothing, so she looked down at her hands.

Kaito cleared his throat. "If you think you're up to it, we could continue with the tour? We don't have to, if you think it would be better to go home…"

Saki shook her head. "I don't see why we can't keep going. I feel fine. I don't know what happened but whatever it was, it's over now."

Kaito perked up. "Really? Great!"

Saki pushed back the covers on the bed and stood up. Kaito was hovering right next to her, and Saki couldn't help laughing.

"Don't worry, Kaito-kun. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yup. I don't feel dizzy or nauseous or anything."

"Okay, then. But if you faint one more time—"

"I won't, I won't!"

"But what if you _do_?"

"Then you'll just have to get me to a doctor, huh? Come on, let's keep going!" She was too curious to want to stop looking around now.

Kaito showed her many rooms as he led her on the tour. She especially loved the music library, a room filled with shelves of music scores for different instruments as well as for singers. Most of the songs she had never heard of before, so she assumed that they were either classical, or songs that had been written specifically for the company. Saki hadn't had a music class since she was in middle school, but she still found the notes and lines on the pages beautiful.

Along with the library, Kaito showed her several practice rooms, recording rooms, some offices, and a room where a complete orchestra could rehearse. They went through several floors of the building, and Saki was thoroughly disoriented by the time they had stopped the tour.

"There's so much," she said faintly, feeling small.

"Well, stick around long enough, and you'll get the hang of it."

"Was that everything?"

"Everything related to the Vocaloid project, almost. The building's got a lot more stuff in it, but that's not important. There's just one more thing I want to show you."

"Okay."

They went back to the elevators once again. This time, Kaito pressed the button for the first floor. They hadn't returned there since the tour began a few hours ago.

"Wait, we're leaving the building? Then where exactly are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there. Don't worry, it's not far," Kaito reassured her as they exited through the glass doors past the lobby.

"But still, what could you have to show me that's not inside a building _that _huge?"

"I see your point. But anyways, here we are!"

They had approached a nondescript building with a metal door.

Saki raised one eyebrow. "It's in here? No offense, Kaito-kun, but this looks kind of sketchy."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a very direct person, Saki-chan?"

Saki shrugged. "I'm friends with Riko—she's a person you _have _to be direct with or else she might twist your words for her own personal use."

"And she doesn't want to be a reporter? What a waste."

Saki laughed. "Isn't it?"

"Anyways, it isn't a sketchy place, I promise. If you go inside, you'll understand."

"Okay."

Kaito opened the door, and Saki stepped inside before he closed it behind himself.

"Whoa! It's pitch black in here!" She took a few uncertain steps forward.

"Just give me a minute to hit the lights." Kaito's footsteps echoed as he walked away from her. It took a few minutes. Saki was starting to worry he'd tripped and fallen, when his voice cut through the dark. "You might want to close your eyes for a moment, Saki-chan."

Saki was curious, but she did as she was told, and was grateful she had when she felt the heat from the lights blaze to life from behind her closed eyelids. Even with her eyes closed, she still squinted, sensing the overwhelming brightness.

"The lights are still really strong, since they haven't completely worked out the details of the show yet. They're still playing around with it."

After a moment of letting her eyes adjust, Saki blinked them open warily, and immediately gasped in wonder.

It was a stage. "This is the concert area near the Yamaha building, isn't it? I see this place all the time. I went to a concert with Riko once, but I've never actually been up here before."

"Our first concert is going to be held in here. I wanted to surprise you, that's why I brought you through the side door by the stage instead of coming through the front door."

"And you're going to perform here? That's amazing." Saki could barely make out the area past the stage lights, but she imagined it filled to overflowing with people as they roared and screamed.

"Why don't you try singing a little, Saki-chan?"

"What—sing _here_? No way, I can't!"

Kaito put his hands in his pockets. "Why not?"

"It feels weird—in a big, empty place like this?" Saki shook her head.

"But like you said, it's empty. There's no one here but me."

"But…"

"Please? I want to hear you sing again."

Saki closed her eyes and gave in to his request, singing a phrase from the song she had sung on karaoke.

_We're the mirror for each other,  
>in order to reflect our respective karma.<br>By touching it with our dirty hands,  
>we understand its form.<em>

_I am here, surely you can feel me.  
>We are here together in the sunny spot for 't forget, I am always calling out to you<br>from the inside of the same marble.  
>Yes, surely we will encounter each other<br>when we raise the cross in our sunken reasons.  
>Our promise will be finished<br>we will become one._

She stopped, remnants of her voice echoing like bells around them.

"Good," Kaito praised her. He walked over to her. "_Now_…" He covered her eyes with his hands. "This time, imagine the room filled with hundreds of people."

"What?" Saki tried to shake off his hands and look at him, but his grip held her firmly in place.

"Shh…" Kaito murmured softly. "Imagine fans who call your name, who come to hear the sound of your voice. Imagine the lights flashing in all those colors, the adrenaline you feel as your voice echoes through the speakers, how fast your heart is beating." Saki _could _feel her heart thrumming in response to his words. The crowd was calling her, chanting her name. Kaito pulled his hands away and stepped back. "Now, sing again."

The words burst from her without hesitation, as though she had been holding them back for years. She wasn't just singing the song—she had embodied it and made it real. When she finished the song this time, she was out of breath.

"Saki-chan." Kaito put a hand on her shoulder. "If you can sing like_ that _at a concert, you'd be a part of Vocaloid in no time. The idea of the crowd doesn't scare you at all."

Saki took another look down at the outfit that had been made for her.

"Maybe…I would be able to do this."

"Saki-chan? Does that mean…?"

Saki looked over at him and grinned. "Kaito-kun, I want to be a part of Vocaloid."

* * *

><p>Aneko: Whew, chapter three, over. Once again, the song <em>Karma<em>, by Bump of Chicken, does not belong to me.


	4. Chapter 4

Aneko: Chillin' with one of my mah bff's watching Fruits Basket. Sweeet. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own the idea for Vocaloid.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

Saki stared out the window, her gaze focused somewhere past the clear sky. She felt restless, even more than the time she had made Valentines day chocolate for a crush one year. She recalled the conversation she had had less than twenty four hours ago.

* * *

><p>"Kaito-kun, I want to be a part of Vocaloid."<p>

Kaito's expression was radiant. "Really? Saki-chan, that's great!"

Saki held up a finger. "There's just one condition."

"What's that?"

"My mom has to be the first to know."

"Oh, yeah, of course. When do you want to tell her?"

"As soon as possible. Tomorrow, probably."

"It's good that you think so, actually. You're going to have to sign a contract in order to be a Vocaloid, and I'm sure your mother wouldn't want you to sign it alone."

"I don't ever want to keep secrets from her."

"Wow. You really respect her."

"It's not just that."

"Oh?"

Saki threaded her fingers together. "I'm adopted. If it hadn't been for Mom and Dad, who knows what would have happened to me? They're my most precious parents, and I always want them to know what I'm going through."

Kaito smiled. "You're so kind, Saki-chan."

Saki blushed, clearing her throat. "I should probably get home now."

* * *

><p>"Saki. Hey, Saki. I said, <em>Saki!<em>"

Saki jumped, dropping the broom she had been holding. "Huh?"

Riko sighed, shaking her head. "Geez, Saki, stop spacing out so much."

Saki laughed. "Sorry about that. I just got lost in thought for a while there."

"Please pay attention! I want to finish cleaning soon so I can go shopping!"

Saki rolled her eyes. "You always want to go shopping."

"Of course! The trends around here change every day. A girl's got to keep up with them somehow. Are you coming?"

Saki shook her head. "Not today. I have to get home to talk to my mom about something."

Riko shrugged. "Suit yourself. You don't know what you're missing."

"You mean helping you carry who _knows_ how many bags? I think I do."

* * *

><p>Kaito was waiting for her a few blocks away from the school gate, reading a book that looked like the one he had been reading the other day.<p>

"Are you ready?" He asked when he saw her.

"Yeah, just nervous."

"Why? Do you think she's going to say no?"

"Well, no—I don't really know. Maybe there's no reason for me to be nervous at all, and I'm just being paranoid."

"Don't worry, I'm right here with you." Kaito made a fighting fist.

Saki smiled. "I'm glad."

"Do you want to tell her, or should I?"

"I want to."

Saki's limbs felt mechanical as she trod down the street.

"Deep breaths," Kaito suggested when they reached her house.

Saki nodded and opened the door. "Mom, I'm home."

"Welcome home, dear. Did you have a nice day?"

"Yeah." Saki led Kaito to the kitchen, where her mother was reading a book at the table. "Hey, mom? I'd like you to meet someone."

Mrs. Fujita looked over her reading glasses. She raised her eyebrows at the sight of Kaito—more precisely at the sight of his hair.

"And I thought _I _had crazy hair when I was your age."

Saki laughed. "Not anymore, huh? Mom, this is Kaito. We have something to talk to you about."

Mrs. Fujita looked from one serious face to another. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

Saki blushed from her toes to the roots of her hair, and from the corner of her eye, she saw that Kaito was a healthy shade of red himself. "_Mother!_"

Mrs. Fujita shrugged, unruffled. "Well it's not like you've ever brought a boy home with you before. What was I supposed to think?"

"Well I don't know, but not _that!_"

"Alright, let's just calm down, okay?" Kaito waved his arms, looking like some sort of referee.

Saki took a deep breath. "Mom, have you ever heard of Vocaloid?"

A brief explanation and a cup of tea later, the three of them were gathered around the kitchen table. Mrs. Fujita looked thoughtful. "I don't mean to discourage you, darling, but it seems so sudden. Are you sure you want to…?"

"I know that she'll be successful," Kaito interjected. "My employer wanted someone like Fujita-san for this job."

Mrs. Fujita looked at her daughter. "So you really want to do this?" Saki nodded. "It'll probably be hard. You have to make sure that you keep up your schoolwork, and that your grades don't drop, because if they do, I won't let you keep doing it—make sure your employer knows that."

Saki almost squealed. "Thank you mom!" She jumped up to hug her mother, who chuckled at her daughter's enthusiasm.

"It's settled then." Kaito pulled out a pack of papers. "This is the contract for the job. You'll need to read through it and sign it. If there's anything that you have questions about, please call me. I'll come get it tomorrow."

Mrs. Fujita took the papers. "Oooh, homework."

Kaito chuckled. "Just a little. Well, if there's nothing else, I should get going."

"I'll take you to the door," Saki said. They walked to the entranceway together. "So, when are we going to start?"

"Tomorrow, if that's okay." Kaito pulled on one of his shoes.

"Yes!" Saki clapped her hands over her mouth. She hadn't meant to sound so excited.

"Great!" Kaito straightened up. "Do you want to go alone, or would you like me to pick you up?"

"Would you come pick me up? I'd be nervous to go alone."

Kaito nodded. "Of course. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"He's a nice boy," Mrs. Fujita said when Saki came back to the kitchen.

"Yeah, he is."

"Oddly dressed, though." Mrs. Fujita rested her chin on her hand. "I'm glad that you've found something that you want to do, darling. It makes me happy."

Saki smiled. "Me too.

* * *

><p>"I think we should celebrate," Kaito declared when he saw Saki the next day after school.<p>

"Celebrate?"

"Yeah, come on. My treat."

Saki laughed when she discovered Kaito's definition of _celebrate_, but she accepted the ice cream cone without complaint, and they sat on a bench together in a nearby park to eat them before going to the Yamaha building.

"Since the concert is coming up pretty soon, you won't be performing in it," Kaito said as they watched two kids kicking a ball around. "There's not enough time to show you the ropes. Oh, but I have these for you." Kaito pulled out two tickets. "These are tickets to the concert. I thought that going would be a good experience. And with two tickets, you can bring your friend."

"Wow, thank you."

"This way, you can get a feeling for what the concerts will be like before you're in one."

Saki nodded. "Riko's going to be excited."

"There is one thing, though, Saki-chan."

"Hm?"

"I was told by the boss that he wants to keep it a secret about you joining Vocaloid."

Saki frowned. "You mean I can't tell Riko?"

"I'm sorry."

Saki stared at the ground. "Okay."

"I know you don't want to lie to your friend, but the reason we're going this is for your own protection. If the Vocaloid project takes off like we want it to, you're going to get a lot of fans. But since you're in high school, it would be bad if your life got hectic. The president doesn't want you to get overwhelmed."

"You guys put a lot of thought into this," Saki said. "Hey, wait…does that mean I'm going to have to put on some sort of disguise?"

Kaito paused in licking his ice cream. "Uh…"

Saki groaned.

* * *

><p>"Come on, it won't be that bad," Kaito said.<p>

"Easy for you to say," Saki called from the other side of the curtain. "You're not the one who has to wear it."

She rolled her eyes as she heard him laugh sheepishly. She lifted her arms over her head as directed by a woman with a tape measure. "Why can't I just wear the outfit I got last time?"

"Did you bring it with you?"

"Yeah, it's in my school bag. I thought I might need it."

"Okay. You can change into that and then we'll send you over to make up."

"I feel like a little girl playing dress up."

One of the women retrieved the outfit for her, and Saki slipped it on, eager to get out of the changing area. She was led to a chair, and a large cover was draped over her front. The woman in front of her wielded a comb and a hair dryer.

"Just relax, Fujita-san."

* * *

><p>The makeup didn't take as long as the fitting had the other day, but when Saki opened her eyes was presented with a handheld mirror, she was left gaping. Her face was the same, but green eyes blinked out at her, and her hair, now a soft teal color, was gathered into two pigtails and fell to a length she had never seen on a human being before in her life.<p>

Kaito's face appeared behind her in the mirror. "So, how's that for a disguise?"

Saki blinked a few times. "Well, the contacts are a bit funny, since I've never worn them before, but…" She tugged on a piece of the hair. It felt very firmly attached to her head. "Hair dye?"

"A wig," said the woman who was holding the comb. "One of the highest quality ones in the world, so don't damage it. Make sure not the rub the contacts, or they'll scratch your eyes."

"Okay."

"Now all that's left is a name," Kaito said.

"Name?"

"Yeah, so it's complete. Don't worry about it for now, thought. You won't need one until after the concert."

"I'm starting to feel like the heroine in some sort of magical girl anime."

Kaito laughed. "Okay, come on, let's go. It's time for your first session."

The soundproof room he led her to was much too big for her to use by herself. Saki poked at the high tech microphone that was meant for the singers. A set of large headphones were hanging over an empty music stand. She turned around to ask Kaito a question, only to find out that there was no one else in the room with her.

"Kaito?"

"Hey, Saki-chan, can you hear me?"

"Kaito? Where are you?"

"Oh, in here." Saki heard a tapping noise. Across from the door, Kaito was tapping on a glass wall that he stood behind. He waved a hand at the sound boards and other electronics around him. "This is the sound control room." His voice came to her over speakers, and the lip movements didn't match up. "This is where someone will be to record your singing. Pretty neat, huh?"

"My word is _overwhelming_."

Kaito walked through a door next to the window and joined her. "Well, shall we get down to business?" He held up some sheet music.

"Right now?"

"No time like the present. We'll take it slow. If you put on those headphones, I'll play the music for you so you can get a feel for it. You can listen to it as many times as you want, just tell me to repeat it. When you get comfortable with it, just start trying to sing along."

"Ah…okay." Saki took the sheet music and pulled the headphones over her ears as Kaito went back into the control room. He gave her a thumbs up and she nodded. It was a lively tune, and Saki couldn't help but nod her head to the beat.

"You know how to read music, right?"

"Yeah, I was in a music class in middle school."

"Good, then. Want a few minutes to look at it?"

"Can I hear the music again?"

"Sure." Kaito cued the music, and Saki focused her eyes on the blackness of the music staffs before her. She hummed the tune under her breath. "Again?" She asked when the music had faded.

She listened to it four more times, marveling at the different tones and chords and memorizing the patterns and where the melody would be. "I'm ready to try it," she called to Kaito.

"Okay, just remember to sing into the microphone."

_One, two, _

_one two three, yeah!_

_Playing it strong, I kinda  
><em>_Get that feeling from you. Well, aren't I right?  
><em>_I want to do something we can't talk about  
><em>_Like that…  
><em>_EW! What kind of stuff?_

_Guys are all stupid, huh?  
><em>_You so thought something weird just now, didn't you?  
><em>_You're the type who can't tell a lie.  
><em>_It's really showing up on your face. Are you okay?  
><em>_There's no room for great consideration  
><em>_It just won't be worth talking about._

_Okay?_

_Before we talk about some great romance,  
><em>_Have you gone over the current situation?_

_Ah! You're so insensitive!_

_Hey. _

_You'd better look over here, baby.  
><em>_I won't let you say no,  
><em>_because I'm in serious mode.  
><em>_Without thinking, I'm going to make you a slave  
><em>_With my buzzing lips.  
><em>_Today is a showdown for sure!_

_Aah._

_Come on, baby!_

Saki faltered, and the music carried on without her.

Kaito stopped it. "Is something wrong?"

"This next part…it's just so high-pitched…I don't know if I can sing it."

She saw that Kaito had a copy of the music, and he looked over the notes. "I guess it is pretty high. Well, why don't we stop for now, then. You can take it home and practice a little before tomorrow. What do you think?"

"Okay."

"See you tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Aneko: Aaaah it's been so long! I promise I didn't forget about this fanfiction, but life kidnapped me and only recently agreed to release me for a ransom of two exams and a paper. Word on that later. But I am alive!<p>

The song (part of a song) doesn't belong to me.

Up next, who likes blonde hair and blue eyes? How about two of them?


	5. Chapter 5

Aneko: Sorry this took ages and ages for this to appear...

Disclaimer: I don't own the brilliance of Vocaloids.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

"Hey Riko—I have a surprise for you."

"Huh? What kind of surprise?"

Saki pulled the two tickets out of her pocket. It took Riko a moment to process what Saki was holding, but when she did, her eyes went wide. Students in class jumped when Riko let out a high-pitched squeal, clutching her best friend in a vice-like hug.

"Riko, can't breathe!"

"But—but—_two_tickets to the Vocaloid concert? Saki, you're amazing! Where did you get them?"

"From a frie—eee offer. A free offer. Some, uh, gift for an online survey?" Saki held her breath, but Riko didn't notice her blunder.

"Man, why don't I ever get anything like this? Share some of your luck with me next time."

"I assume you want to go, then?"

"OF COURSE I DO!"

Saki waved her hands. "Okay, okay! Just calm down, okay? Everybody's looking."

"I'll try," Riko said, but Saki could tell she was practically bursting at the seams.

Saki's phone chimed in her pocket, and she left Riko to her fantasies to check. It was a message from Kaito.

"_Hey Saki-chan! I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be kind of busy today, so Meiko is going to work with you. Is that okay?"_

Saki texted him back. _"That's fine. I'm sure you have a lot on your hands getting ready for the concert."_

_"Thank you! She said she'll meet you in the lobby."_

* * *

><p>The perky older woman was lounging on a couch when Saki arrived, but she sat up when she saw the younger girl, and they went to the recording room again. Saki found that working with Meiko was, although different, just as fun as working with Kaito. They had to stop recording several times on account of the fact that Saki kept laughing at Meiko, who was dancing to the music in the control room.<p>

"So where's Kaito today?" Saki asked later, as the two of them were taking a break, sitting on the floor of the booth.

"Hm? Oh, he's recording today too. We want to release CDs as soon as we can after the concert, so everyone's working hard to prepare for that right now."

"Do you still have to record yours?"

"No, I already finished mine." Meiko looked at her. "Are you excited about the concert?"

"Yeah, I can't wait!"

"Oh yeah, that reminds me." Meiko tapped a finger on her chin. "You haven't met the twins yet, have you?"

"Twins?"

"Follow me. They should be back by now."

They started to walk down the hall. "The Kagamine twins are a little bit younger than you, but they're still your sempais, since they've been here longer."

Saki's eyebrows rose. "Wait, they're younger than me? How old are they, then?"

"Well—wait." Meiko paused. "That's them now, in that recording booth. Hear them?"

They fell silent and listened. Two voices, very similar but slightly different in pitch, wove in and out of each other in choreographed harmony. Saki was reminded of sparrows, or other small birds.

Meiko knocked on the door and the voices cut off. "Hey, Len? Rin? Can I come in? There's someone I want you to meet."

The door opened, and Saki was met with four blue eyes and two blonde heads. They were only slightly shorter than she was. One wore longer shorts, and the other had a white ribbon—a boy and a girl.

"Come in," they chorused, opening the door wider.

"This is Saki-chan. Remember the director telling us about her?"

The two nodded. They looked at Saki and then at each other.

"Nee-chan?" The girl asked.

The boy nodded. They looked back at Saki and grinned. "It's nice to meet you, Saki-nee-chan."

"It's nice to meet you too."

"I'm Rin, and this is my brother Len." The boy nodded.

"Your singing was beautiful."

Rin perked up while Len's cheeks darkened. "Really? You liked it?"

"A lot."

Rin tugged on her hand, and Len tugged on the other. "You should sing with us!"

"Are you sure?" Saki asked, but she was already being dragged into the recording studio.

"Just one song?" They looked up at her, trapping her in big blue eyes.

Saki looked at Meiko, and the brunette shrugged. "We can stop for the day."

"Okay, then…"

"Just follow our lead, Saki-nee-chan." Len smiled. "Okay?"

"Okay."

They didn't record anything, but Saki had fun learning from the Kagamines, and even just listening to them talk, as they went back and forth, or even at the same time, like two dancers. They were as synchronized out of song as they were in song.

A little while later, Meiko clapped her hands together. "Okay, you two, it's time for Saki to go home now. She has to go to school tomorrow."

"Awww…" Their shoulders slumped.

"Don't give me that puppy dog look!" Meiko put her hands on her hips. "She's coming to see the concert, you know. Don't you want to practice more to make sure you sound good for her?"

They straightened up and nodded.

"Okay, then she'll see you soon on the stage." Meiko ushered Saki out the door.

"I can't believe the concert is just a couple days away."

"Are you excited?"

"Of course! I haven't heard you or Kaito sing yet."

"Kaito didn't sing for you?"

Saki shook her head.

Meiko grinned. "This is going to be awesome! I know you've got tickets, but try to get there early in case it's crowded."

* * *

><p>"It really<em> is<em> crowded," Saki said, scanning the crowd that filled the concert area. She had agreed to meet Riko in a corner of the lobby, but so far there was no sign of her ever-excitable friend. Just when she was starting to worry that the concert would start without them, she heard someone call her name. Riko was squeezing her way between people, muttering hasty apologies as she ran into half of them.

"It's a mess out there! She exclaimed when she finally reached Saki. "I could barely walk."

"I hope we'll still be able to get good seats, " Saki said, watching the horde of people that milled about.

"Wait, Saki, are you serious? Didn't you know?"

"Huh? Know what…?" Saki focused on her friend again.

Riko was holding up her ticket. "These are for reserved seats. At the front. No one can take the spot but us."

Saki blinked. "What?! But that's…that's just too amazing!"

"Riko stared at her. "'Too amazing'? What's that supposed to mean? You're the one that won them. Why are you so surprised?"

"Why indeed…" Saki mumbled, making a mental note to discuss the term "secret" with Kaito. If she was expected to keep this whole thing to herself, she really shouldn't be throwing around these kinds of tickets.

"Whatever, come on, let's go!" Riko dragged Saki to the darkened concert area.

It was even more crowded inside, from what Saki could tell of the dim lighting. Riko led the way to their seats as they shouldered their way through the crowd. More than once, Saki stepped don someone's foot, and she was almost certain she caught a couple of girls glaring at her.

They made it to their seats and Saki glanced at her watch. "Huh. That's weird. It should have started almost 15 minutes ago. I hope they're not having any problems."

As she finished speaking, the room went dark. There was a brief hush in the audience, but when nothing else happened, their murmuring started up again even louder than before.

"Huh. That was anticlimactic." Riko stared at the ceiling. "I wonder if they're going to start it soo—"

She was cut off by a flash of light from the stage. Around the edges of the platform, sparks began to fire up towards the ceiling. Saki felt like if she just reached a hand out, she'd be close enough to touch them. There was another flash of light.

"Hey, do you hear that?" Saki asked.

"Hear what?"

Saki frowned. It was faint, and somewhat tinny, but she was almost certain. "That—it sounds kind of like voices…"

There was another flash of light, and then—

_Dissonance in my head!_

In another flash, the stage was flooded with light, and Saki was looking at the Kagamine twins, back to back in the middle of the stage. A suave, steady beat thudded from the speakers beside Saki—loud, but not overbearing. A song she would have danced to, had she any space to actually move around in.

_A purple butterfly on your right shoulder,  
><em>_We kissed in the corner of the room  
><em>_I learned what it's like to have a heart-rending feeling  
><em>_Sounds of a piano resounded, dissonance in my head._

Rin walked to one side of the stage, and Len walked to the other, both reaching down into the audience directly at their feet. Saki was closer to Len, and he caught sight of her and winked. The girls around her just screamed that much louder.

_I'm having a nightmare,__wake me up, hurry,  
><em>_A beginning is always trivial, right?  
><em>_Don't ask me where I feel good,  
><em>_I can't give you an answer.  
><em>_A beautiful night deluded me and I've lost my way,  
><em>_Make my eyelashes longer,  
><em>_Create a crescent shape above the lash lines  
><em>_Wear a glossed lip._

_A purple butterfly on your right shoulder,  
><em>_We kissed in the corner of the room  
><em>_I learned what it's like to have a heart-rending feeling  
><em>_Sounds of a piano resounded, dissonance in my head._

Saki almost didn't see Meiko and Kaito appear from the sides until they were at the front. Rin and Len stepped back, and the two older singers took over.

_I got wet with rain,  
>My hair looked frozen<br>I gave vent to lonliness  
>Into a toilet bowl<br>I'm shivering and waiting for you  
><em>

Saki wished she wasn't surrounded by screaming girls, so that she could better hear their voices. But she could just hear Kaito, his voice deeper than Len's and smoother. Beside him, Meiko's voice was filled with just as much liveliness as her personality. As they sang, their feet moved to the choreographed dance so quickly that Saki almost couldn't follow it.

A brunette beside Saki seemed unable to get enough of Kaito. Saki hoped her eardrums would still be intact when they left the concert hall.

_I chase you  
>And then run away from you,<br>So chase me more._

_I'm serious,_  
><em>If you think it's a joke,<em>  
><em>You'll get hurt, understood?<em>

_Painted red nails_  
><em>And a cheap ring on my finger<em>  
><em>Every time I get hurt,<em>  
><em>I buy new earrings<em>

Rin and Len stepped forward again, and as the four of them stood in a line, they were perfectly in sync from the dance to the words of the song. Saki wondered how many rehearsals were put into getting this moment right.

_Snuggle me,_  
><em>I have a black hole in my body<em>  
><em>You're the only one<em>  
><em>Who can fulfill my heart<em>  
><em>Aren't you the one?<em>  
><em>You know you are,<em>  
><em>I can't control myself anymore<em>

_I'm so regretful_  
><em>That I wanna die<em>  
><em>I get as much pleasure as regrets<em>  
><em>I'm gonna go nuts,<em>  
><em>Stop me please,<em>  
><em>Make me come off<em>  
><em>And kill me right away<em>

_What leaked out of the wound is love or, ah..._

_I'm so regretful_  
><em>That I wanna die<em>  
><em>I get as much pleasure as regrets<em>  
><em>I'm gonna go nuts,<em>  
><em>Stop me please,<em>  
><em>Make me come off<em>  
><em>And kill me right away<em>

_Snuggle me,_  
><em>I have a black hole in my body<em>  
><em>You're the only one<em>  
><em>Who can fulfill my heart<em>  
><em>Aren't you the one?<em>  
><em>You know you are,<em>  
><em>I can't control myself anymore<em>

_A purple butterfly on your right shoulder_  
><em>We kissed<em>  
><em>In the corner of the room<em>  
><em>Iearned what it's like<em>  
><em>To have a heartrending feeling<em>  
><em>Sounds of a piano rebounded,<em>  
><em>Dissonace in my head<em>

The last words of the song faded, and the stage went dark, but the screaming from the audience only got louder.

"If that was just the opening song, I can't wait to see what they're going to play next," Riko said, her own enthusiasm only heightened by the crowd's.

* * *

><p>A couple hours later, Saki and Riko emerged from the concert hall, Riko humming one of the songs under her breath.<p>

"That was _awesome!_" Riko exclaimed, causing several people to look at her.

Saki laughed. "Yeah, it was cool."

Riko glanced at her watch. "Oh, sorry. I hate to just up and run, but I need to get home. My mom told me she wants my help making dinner tonight."

"Okay. See you at school tomorrow."

Riko threw her arms around Saki in a goodbye hug and ran off down the street.

Saki was still waving after her when someone cleared his throat behind her. "Fujita Saki? I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me." He had made his voice deeper, but she recognized it anyways.

"Kait—mm." She fell silent as Kaito's hand fell on her mouth.

"Shh! If anyone sees me, I'll get in trouble."

Saki's mouth twitched in a smile as she took in his long coat and big floppy hat. His scarf peeked over the coat collar, hiding his face all the way up to his nose.

"With your higher ups, or with your new fans?"

Kaito scratched the back of his head. "Did it really go that well?"

"Are you kidding? If half of all the girls in Japan aren't in love with you by tomorrow I'll be very surprised." Kaito laughed. "Why'd you come out here, anyways?"

"Everybody wants to see you. They're waiting for you backstage."

* * *

><p>"Saki-chan."<p>

"Saki-nee-chan!"

Saki was greeted by three voices as soon as she stepped through the door.

"You were awesome out there!" Saki said, high-fiving Meiko.

"Us too?" The twins asked.

"Yeah, you too."

"And next time, you get to do it with us," Kaito reminded her.

"I hope I don't mess everything up…"

"You'll be fine!" Meiko slapped her on the back.

"I hope so."

* * *

><p>Aneko: I would think that most of you know which song I chose to write the lyrics too, but I will go ahead and say I don't own Butterfly on Your Right Shoulder. I think if you've got a loud crowd, Butterfly on Your Right Shoulder would be a pretty good opening. I know it's typically a Len and Rin song, but hey, adaptation! I really didn't want to think of enough songs for a concert for them all because I'm lazy. :I<p>

And yeah, I totally didn't expect this to take that long. But the thing is, I haven't thought this fiction all the way through yet. And so I'm making it up as I go? It's a new thing for me, I guess. I just didn't want to wait to start it until I knew the whole thing, so some writer's block may occur, as was the case with this chapter…


	6. Chapter 6

Aneko: Oh? Hello again. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own any Vocaloids. Sad day…T-T

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

Saki looked over at Riko's desk and saw her friend's eyes were closed and that a black chord led to ear buds nestled in both ears. Saki pulled one of them out.

"What are you listening to?"

"Oh, Saki. The new Vocaloid CD came out."

Saki's eyebrows rose. "Already?"

"Yeah, it's so awesome. And there's a secret track on it. Here, listen."

She handed Saki the ear bud that had been pulled out, and Saki listened in.

_One, two, _

_one two three, yeah!_

_Playing it strong, I kinda_

_Get that feeling from you. Well, aren't I right?!  
>I want to do something we can't talk about<em>

_Like that…_

_EW! What kind of stuff?_

Saki's face flushed.

"Isn't her voice awesome?" Riko said, oblivious to Saki's reaction. "No one knows who she is."

"There's no name or anything?"

"No. But I think she sounds like she could be around our age. Isn't that amazing to think about? That she could be a girl going to high school just like us? We might pass her on the streets all the time and not know it!"

_It's amazing how she's so close, but at the same time so…not…_Saki thought as the bell rang and she walked back to her seat.

* * *

><p>Saki nearly walked into Meiko when she reached the Yamaha building. The older woman smiled, her hands on her hips.<p>

"Ready to start concert preparations?"

"Eh, conc—but you just had one!"

"Yup, and it's time for you to get ready for your turn." Meiko grabbed her by the hand and began leading her down a flight of stairs. She opened a door and called in, "delivery of one Hatsune Miku-chan!" before pushing Saki in, winking and disappearing up the stairs again.

"Huh? Hatsune…Miku?"

"It's your official stage name now." Kaito was standing a few feet into the room. "What do you think of it?"

Saki closed her eyes. "Hatsune Miku…first sound from the future…" She shook her head. "What is it supposed to mean?"

Kaito scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "The boss decided on it when he got feedback on the secret track on the CD."

Saki raised an eyebrow. 'Secret track huh? I meant to ask you about that. Secret from me too, huh?"

Kaito grinned. "Yeah. Surprised you, didn't it?"

"I'll say."

"And everyone loves it, too."

Saki's face felt warm. "D-do they?"

"Of course. You do have an awesome voice. And now that we know how all the fans feel about you, we're ready to start getting ready for the concert. With that said," Kaito spread his arms out. "Welcome to the dance studio."

Saki looked around, noticing the mirrors walls and the polished floor.

"You'll learn choreography down here, and how to sing at the same time."

"Are you teaching me the choreography?"

"Just for today. But normally, there's an instructor."

"Okay."

"Did you bring your school gym clothes like I asked you to?"

"Yeah, they're in my bag."

"Good. Why don't you change into them, and we can start working."

They started with simple movements, Kaito taking it slow and being patient as Saki tripped over her feet.

"I know these aren't complicated moves or anything," Saki said, leaning over as she caught her breath. "But why aren't _you_sweaty and out of breath like me? We've been doing nothing but dancing for over an hour. How are you doing it?"

Kaito offered her a water bottle, pursing his lips. "Uh…willpower?"

Saki managed to roll her eyes as she gulped water. "Okay, sure." She tossed the water bottle back in his direction. "Now let's keep going!"

"Yes ma'am!"

* * *

><p>Saki collapsed onto the floor, not even trying to calm her labored breathing.<p>

"Good job," Kaito told her. "You kept up really well for your first day."

"If every day is going to be like this, I don't know if I'll be able to hold out," Saki said, giving a breathy laugh.

"Don't worry. You won't be doing just dancing every day. There will be plenty of singing as well. Tomorrow it'll probably be both."

"At once?!"

"No. Not yet, anyways. But that reminds me. I have something for you." Kaito walked over to the wall, pulling some paper out of a folder on the floor. He handed it to Saki. "This is the song that you'll be working on tomorrow. You should take it home and look over it."

Saki looked at the title. "Meruto?"

"It's an English word—Melt."

"Oh, okay."

"What do you think?"

"I like it. It has a happy feeling to it."

"I'm glad you like it. It's getting late though. I'll walk you home."

* * *

><p>Saki rubbed at her hair with a towel. Now that she had bathed, she felt refreshed and sleepy. Unfortunately, there was still a pile of homework with her name on it, so she headed for her desk. As she passed her bed, she saw the sheet music to Melt, where she had left it when she first got home. She looked over the music again.<p>

"A little practice is fine before I start my homework," she mused aloud. "I mean, it is 'work,' after all."

_lalalalalala..._

_I wake up in the morning_  
><em>And immediately I start to think of you<em>  
><em>I decided to cut my bangs<em>  
><em>Just to hear you say, "What happened?"<em>

_A pink skirt, and a flower barette_  
><em>And it's time to go<em>  
><em>I'm looking super cute today!<em>

_..._

* * *

><p><em>...<em>

_Melt - I'm about to melt_  
><em>I can't tell you that I like you... but...<em>  
><em>Melt - I can't let our eyes meet<em>  
><em>I'm not into love and all that<em>  
><em>But I do... like you<em>

_lalalalalala..._

_The weather report lied_  
><em>It's pouring down<em>  
><em>My umbrella still folded in my bag won't do<em>  
><em>So I gave a sigh<em>

_"I guess I'll have to let you in"_  
><em>Beside me you say, laughing<em>  
><em>That was the sound that made me fall in love<em>

_Melt - I can hardly breathe_  
><em>My hand, touching yours, is trembling<em>  
><em>My heart is racing under this half of the umbrella<em>  
><em>If you should stretch out your hand to close the distance, what'll I do...?!<em>  
><em>My feelings will reach you<em>

_It's time to stop wishing, I feel like I'm gonna cry_  
><em>And yet, I'm so happy I could die!<em>

_lalalalalala..._

_Melt - We've reached the station..._  
><em>We can't see each other anymore, we're close yet so far away, so...<em>  
><em>Melt - I want to walk hand in hand with you!<em>  
><em>Must we say goodbye so soon?<em>  
><em>Hold me tight right away!<em>  
><em>...or something<em>

Saki opened her eyes and looked into the control room. "How was that?"

Kaito smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "Great." He came into the recording booth. "You learned that one pretty fast. I think you'll be able to move on to another song in a few days."

"You keep putting songs in front of me," Saki said. "Whoever writes them all has a lot of creativity. I could never do that."

"Oh, we don't have just one songwriter," Kaito said, waving a hand. "We go through so many songs that we have many different ones. Otherwise we couldn't have pulled off a CD and a concert already, with another in the works."

"I see."

"Speaking of the concert, we should start deciding which songs we're going to use for the next one. Want to go look in the music library?"

"What? Me?"

"Sure. You're part of Vocaloid now. You're allowed there just like the rest of us. We can pick some songs and see what Meiko, Rin and Len think."

That was the plan at least, but while they were on their way to the library, they ran into the twins, who wanted to join them. By the time they got there, they were making such a racket that Meiko followed the sound and found them spread out on the floor, music scattered everywhere.

The five of them sat around in a circle, digging through piles of sheet music.

"We want to sing a song with Saki-nee-chan," Rin said, Len nodding in agreement.

Meiko whacked them both on the head with sheet music. "Careful. You should probably start referring to her as 'Miku' now. We wouldn't want to slip up and call her 'Saki.'"

"You're right. That would defeat the whole purpose of having a cover."

"Fine. We want to sing a song with Miku-nee-chan."

Meiko rolled onto her stomach, resting her chin on her hand. "I think everybody does. We should definitely do a song where we all sing together."

"But she should also do a song she'll get to sing all by herself."

"Have any idea what you want to sing, Sak—Miku-chan?"

Saki shook her head. "There are just so many to choose from. How in the world am I supposed to—"

Kaito blinked and looked over his sheet music at her. "Sa—I mean, Miku-chan? You okay?"

"What is it, what'd you find?" Meiko asked, leaning in. Everyone crowded around Saki.

"Do you like this one, nee-chan? Is this the song you want?"

"I don't know—I was just looking through them and this one sort of…jumped out at me."

"This looks awesome."

"Yeah, I thought so too."

"It would be a great opening song for you."

"Maybe so."

"This one! We want to sing this one with Miku-nee-chan." Rin pointed at the sheet music Len was holding.

Saki took it and looked over it.

"What about this one, Miku-chan?"

"Eeeh? No way, Meiko-nee, too depressing."

"What? It is not. I think it's poetic."

"Yeah, for a song about _death_."

"Hey guys, what about this one?"

"Don't change the subject, Kaito."

Saki observed their good-natured bickering, and she was struck by how much they seemed like a family. As Len pulled on her sleeve, offering her more music, and Meiko, Rin and Kaito argued, she couldn't help smiling.

Now they were her family too.

* * *

><p>"Saki! There's another Vocaloid concert coming up!"<p>

Saki almost choked on her milk. Riko had recently gotten fairly quiet about Vocaloid, so Saki had forgotten that it was Riko's new obsession.

"R-really? That's, um, that's cool."

"It would be awesome if you could get free tickets again, but I guess we'll have to buy them like normal people this time."

"Oh, I can't go this time. I'm working."

Riko paused. "I haven't told you the date yet."

Saki scrambled. "What I meant was, I'll probably be working. Uh, when is it?"

"Not for a few weeks yet. I'll have to check the exact date."

"Okay. I'll talk to my boss and ask." Saki felt strange saying it, when she already knew both the date and that, no matter what, she wouldn't be able to go. At least, not with Riko.

"There's a new CD out already, too."

And she already knew that, also. "Really? That was…fast."

"I know, wasn't it? And there's a secret track again. A song called _Melt_. I think it's the same girl that sang the last secret track."

"Did they list a name this time?" Saki didn't have to fake her curiosity. She had failed to ask Kaito if her new name would be listed or not on the new CD. Either he had forgotten to tell her, or this job always worked on need-to-know basis.

Riko shook her head. "I looked on both CDs and the cases too, just make sure it wasn't hidden anywhere. As far as I can tell, it's not on either CD. People are going nuts over it. There are all sorts of theories about her."

"Theories?"

"Yeah, like she might be an already existing idol who's joining Vocaloid, or that she's a child prodigy, or that she's not real."

"Excuse me, what? Not real?"

"Yeah."

"Why would they think that?"

"Her vocal range. It's so varied that it's almost unnatural."

Saki didn't know what to say.

"Are you okay, Saki? You look a little down."

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing."

Saki looked down at the milk carton in her hand.

"Unnatural…?"

* * *

><p>"Okay, let's take a break," the choreographer, Kei, called, shutting off the music. Everyone dropped to the floor. The twins leaned against each other's backs. Today they were all working on choreography together, something they had been doing for the past few days. Kaito said it was because they were getting closer to the date of the concert.<p>

"Don't forget the dress rehearsal coming up," Kei said as they gulped water from bottles they had been given. "We'll be practicing with the costumes, lights, and the whole program order."

Saki was too out-of-breath to respond, so she nodded instead.

Kaito looked over at her. "After the concert, you're probably going to have to start wearing your disguise all the time. We don't want Paparazzi finding out about you."

"Right." Saki played with her water bottle cap for a few minutes before realizing that Kaito was staring at her. "What is it?"

"Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"You seem kind of…quiet today. Is anything wrong?"

Saki looked back down at her water bottle.

_Unnatural…_

"No. I…maybe I'm just tired." She smiled at him.

If he noticed how fake it was, he didn't say anything. "Okay. Well, remember, if you need anyone to talk to, I'm here," he said, and Saki's heart twinged uncomfortably in response.

* * *

><p>Aneko: I'm glad I didn't get stuck on this chapter. In fact, I think I wrote it quite quickly.<p>

My judgment of time is like spaghetti. It's slippery, loopy, and all different kind of lengths. I'm just warning you because I'm kind of taking leaps and bounds in terms of what's happening. I'm just not creative enough to beef up the whole concert preparation process. No one's complained or anything, so I'm assuming it's really okay, but this is just a warning.

This chapter's song, Melt, does not belong to me, and neither does the English translation.


	7. Chapter 7

Aneko: Here we go, chapter seven. I…think the action is going to pick up from here? I think…

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Wish I did. I don't.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

Saki's eye flew open as soon as her alarm clock went off. She stared at the ceiling, letting the music play for a few minutes before she turned it off and rolled out of bed.

When she finally pulled on her uniform, she went downstairs and found her mother setting breakfast on the table.

"Morning," she mumbled.

Mrs. Fujita glanced up. "Morning, darling. You seem low-key today. Are you alright?"

Saki half-smiled. It felt like everyone was asking that question lately. "Mmm…I didn't sleep that well, so I'm kind of tired."

"You're not getting sick, are you?" Her mother wiped her hands on her apron, feeling her daughter's forehead. "Hmm, you don't have a fever. Do you have work today?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if you start feeling sick, come straight home, alright? I don't want it to get worse."

"Okay. I'm probably fine, though. We have bee working hard lately since the concert is coming up."

"Well I don't want you to be overworked either. You tell your boss _that_," Mrs. Fujita said, moving away to check the omelets.

* * *

><p>"…Which reminded me that I actually <em>haven't<em>met our boss," Saki concluded, handing another piece of music to Kaito. They were putting it back in the library. "Everything that I know, I learned from you. Why is that? Will I ever get to meet the President?"

Kaito glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and turned away, shuffling a stack of papers. "Yeah. Probably. He is pretty busy, though, so it might be a while yet."

"Oh. Okay."

"Well—ready to head to the stage?"

Saki smiled. "Yeah."

Today was the dress rehearsal. The concert was just around the corner. In a few days she would do it for real.

"Huh, I guess everybody else isn't here yet," Kaito said, when they arrived at the stage and didn't see the twins or Meiko. The area was abuzz with the sound of the tech crews as they hurried about, checking lights and sound systems.

Saki stepped forward to the edge of the stage. She imagined a crowd filling up the empty space below her.

"Are you excited?"

Saki nodded. "It's weird. I thought I'd be nervous, but I'm not at all. There's just…" she closed her eyes. "…adrenaline…my heart beating fast…anticipation…"

"When the concert comes, you'll really become Hatsune Miku. People all over the place will know you by that name."

Saki turned to Kaito. "That's right. From the concert, I'm really going to be a part of Vocaloid. I won't be just wandering around, not knowing what's happening. So I think you should take the honorific off my name. I'll just be 'Miku.'"

"Okay, then me too. Drop the –kun, just call me Kaito."

Saki put her hands behind her back. "Hmm…Kaito?" She asked, trying it out.

"Yes, Miku?"

Saki laughed, the name strange, but nice to hear. She looked at Kaito, though, and the laughter died on her lips at the look on his face. His eyes, usually bright with a smile that was or was not visible, were completely joyless and dark.

"Kaito…? Are you okay?"

Kaito glanced at her. "I'm fine," he said, after a pause. "Just tired." Saki opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by someone calling their names. " Sounds like everybody else just got here," Kaito noted.

"Kaito—" Saki called, but Kaito had already begun heading towards the back of the stage.

_Just tired?_

"But Kaito…"

"_Just tired."_

"…that sounded like…"

"_Are you okay?"_

_"No. I…maybe I'm just tired."_

"…Like you didn't mean it at all…"

* * *

><p>"This wig sure is heavy," Saki said, tugging on one of the twin tails.<p>

"Sorry, but it can't be helped if we want to keep you here with us, right? Meiko asked. "And you've got to get used to it for the concert."

"I guess it's good that I'll have to wear it all the time from here on out. I would hate having to readjust to it every single time."

"Okay, break's over," Kei called. "Everybody up."

Before the music started, Meiko caught Saki's eye. "Just a few more days," she mouthed, so her headset wouldn't pick it up. Saki grinned and nodded, just as they began to sing.

_Honey, honey._

_Honey, honey._

* * *

><p>"Saki, you have to eat something."<p>

"There's just not way, mom. I'm too excited!"

Mrs. Fujita leveled a stare at her daughter. "Young lady, concert or no concert, you are not leaving this house until you eat something. Unless you want the whole world to hear your stomach growling up on that stage."

A short while later, Saki bounded out the door, escaping with a piece of toast in her mouth. She practically flew to the Yamaha building, nearly bowling Kaito over when she got to the lobby.

"Are you sure you're not an overexcited fan?"

Saki laughed, and they headed upstairs for Saki's hair and make up. Once Saki had changed into wig and costume, they headed for the stage, where Meiko, Rin and Len were aready waiting.

"Have they started letting people into the concert hall yet?"

Meiko shook her head. "No, not yet. The light crew was making some last minute adjustments. But they should be here any minute now." She looked at Saki. "Miku-chan, is your mom coming to watch?"

Saki nodded. "I told her she didn't have to, since she's not really into pop music, but she wanted to come anyways."

"To support her daughter, of course."

Saki smiled down at her hands.

"Hey, they're coming, they're coming!" Meiko pulled the twins away from where they peeked out at the crowd so that their blonde heads wouldn't be seen.

"Well, shall we?" Everyone nodded. "We'll see you in a few minutes, Miku!"

Saki separated from the others to collect her headset and stand beneath the stage.

The plan was the let the other four sing the opening song, and then Saki would get to make her entrance. Saki reached her spot below the trap door just as the music began, and her heart began to beat faster.

Out in the audience, Riko was singing along. Though it wasn't a new song, she didn't really care. Being able to sing along was just as thrilling. Beside her, another girl was singing as well.

The song came into the final chorus, and the whole audience was singing along, or at least trying, as they waved glow sticks in the air.

_A purple butterfly on your right shoulder  
>We kissed<br>In the corner of the room  
>Iearned what it's like<br>To have a heartrending feeling  
>Sounds of a piano rebounded,<br>Dissonace in my head_

The four singers on stage stopped, freezing in poses as everyone cheered. When the stage went dark, everyone was still cheering.

Riko had to stop when her throat began to ache from all of her yelling. As she tried to clear her throat, she thought she heard—

Someone plugged in the electric guitar, as a strain of keyboard music began. Riko's eyes widened, and she grabbed the girl beside her, whose name she didn't even know. "It's her, it's got to be that girl—"

_Lalalalalalala..._

"It's her!"

* * *

><p><em>Lalalalalalala…<em>

As Saki sang out, her platform began to rise.

_Lalalalalalala_

_Lalala…la…_

Four pairs of hands reached down to grab her, and suddenly, she was there, in the middle of the light and the sound and the music. She had little time before the words began, and her voice sang out even though she was still feeling overwhelmed.

_I wake up in the morning_  
><em>And immediately I start to think of you<em>  
><em>I decided to cut my bangs<em>  
><em>Just to hear you say, "What happened?"<em>

_A pink skirt, and a flower barette_  
><em>And it's time to go<em>  
><em>I'm looking super cute today!<em>

_Melt - I'm about to melt_  
><em>I can't tell you that I like you... but...<em>  
><em>Melt - I can't let our eyes meet<em>  
><em>I'm not into love and all that<em>  
><em>But I do... like you<em>

_Lalalalalala..._

_Lalalalalalala_

_Lalala…la…_

The crowd was beside themselves. Saki was surprised at the number of people who were singing along with her, and she felt some of her confidence return, a grin spreading over her face. Everyone else wasn't singing, but they were still dancing beside her.

_The weather report lied_  
><em>It's pouring down<em>  
><em>My umbrella still folded in my bag won't do<em>  
><em>So I gave a sigh<em>

_"I guess I'll have to let you in"_  
><em>Beside me you say, laughing<em>  
><em>That was the sound that made me fall in love<em>

_Melt - I can hardly breathe_  
><em>My hand, touching yours, is trembling<em>  
><em>My heart is racing under this half of the umbrella<em>  
><em>If you should stretch out your hand to close the distance, what'll I do...?!<em>  
><em>My feelings will reach you<em>

_It's time to stop wishing, I feel like I'm gonna cry_  
><em>And yet, I'm so happy I could die!<em>

_Lalalalalalala..._

_Lalalalalalala…_

_Lalala…la…_

_Melt - We've reached the station..._  
><em>We can't see each other anymore, we're close yet so far away, so...<em>  
><em>Melt - I want to walk hand in hand with you!<em>  
><em>Must we say goodbye so soon?<em>  
><em>Hold me tight right away!<em>  
><em>...or something<em>

_Lalalalalalala…_

_Lalalalalalala…_

_Lalala…la…_

A cascade of electric guitar notes ended the song. Saki was happily out of breath, and she continued to smile out into the crowd. After a few moments, Kaito began speaking.

"If anyone here has bought one of the two CDs released before now, you have no doubt been wondering who the owner of the mystery voice was. Now it is our pleasure to introduce her to you—Hatsune Miku!"

When Saki stepped forward, everyone cheered. "It's nice to meet you!" She called, and the chattering died down a little. "I look forward to singing for everyone, so please continue to support us, and enjoy the rest of the show!"

She finished speaking just as the music began, and Meiko stepped forward to take the lead in the next song.

_Honey, honey!_

* * *

><p>When Saki went backstage, her mother was waiting in the wings to give her a hug.<p>

"You looked wonderful out there, Saki. I'm so proud of you."

"Yeah, you did great, Miku-chan!" Meiko said as she came in behind her.

"Now that we've had the concert, what's next?" Saki asked.

Meiko shrugged. "Who knows? But whatever it is, it's going to be awesome."

* * *

><p>"It was so <em>awesome!<em>" Riko raved. "And now we finally know who that girl is—Hatsune Miku."

"Mmm…" Saki said, feigning disinterest, but she was trying her hardest not to break into a grin.

"It's too bad you couldn't go with me."

"I did get to watch it on TV, though." Her mother had recorded the entire concert so that she could watch it. It was a very surreal feeling, seeing that girl singing and smiling, who looked nothing like her, but was her.

"Hey, Saki!"

Saki started, realizing that she had been zoning out. "Wh-what?"

"You want to go shopping this weekend?"

Saki grinned. "Sure." Kaito had told her that she could have a little time off since the concert had just finished. "Sounds great."

The bell rang, and Riko returned to her seat.

Saki tried her best to concentrate, but every doodle in her notebook turned into music notes, and the teacher's words were drowned out by a refrain.

* * *

><p>Aneko: And they all lived happily ever after.<p>

…Just kidding. But wouldn't it be nice if it ended that neatly?

It's a little short, but what the hey. I'll make up for it by having more chapters in this fiction than in any of my other multichapters! (Maybe…)

I don't own the song Melt, or the brief part of Honey, Honey (all two lines of it...both times...)


	8. Chapter 8

Aneko: It would seem that I have nothing to say...

Disclaimer: I don't own Vocaloid or any of the songs that are used in the fiction.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter eight<strong>

"Saki, over here!"

Saki pushed her way through the crowd to where Riko waited beneath the clock tower.

"I'm so excited. There are a few places I definitely want to go. How about you?"

Saki shrugged. "Nowhere in particular. If I like something I'll get it, but I'm not looking for anything, really."

"Okay, then, let's go!"

"Whoa!" Saki was yanked away toward a store front nearby.

Saki was always amazed at Riko's shopping skills. Every time they were out together, she found the sale items within moments, like she was connected to the section by telepathy. Saki owed half of her wardrobe to her trend-crazy friend. By the time they had left the fifth shop, they were both carrying multiple bags.

"Geez, Riko, slow down! We've been going at it for a couple of hours now!" Saki called to Riko, who was already forging ahead down the crowded street.

"Whaaat? Tired already? Come on, we've been out shopping longer than this before. You need more stamina!"

"I know that, but I'm feeling kind of—" Saki stopped, leaning against the wall of one of the shops as a wave of dizziness swept over her.

Riko came trotting back when she saw Saki stop. "Saki? Hey, are you okay?"

Saki shook her head. "I—I don't know. I think I…"

But she got no further than that. The last thing she remembered before blacking out was Riko calling her name in alarm.

* * *

><p>When she opened her eyes, the blue sky was above her. She couldn't hear the sounds of the crowd, so she had been moved, perhaps?<p>

"Are you alright, miss?"

Saki looked around for the source of the voice, and saw a man sitting beside her. Confused, she looked around for Riko, but didn't see her. "Wh-who are—"

She attempted to sit up, but he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You mustn't sit up. You will become nauseous, I believe."

Saki settled back down on what she now realized was a bench. She had caught sight of a park playground before her head fell back again. "Where…where's Riko?"

"Your friend?" He pointed. "At those vending machines. She feared that you had become dehydrated." He looked at her again. His eyes were a startling shade of amethyst. "If you feel at all tired, it is alright to close your eyes and rest again."

"No, I—I think I'm okay."

"Saki! You're awake!" Riko had returned from the vending machines. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you weren't feeling well."

Saki gave a half-hearted chuckle. "Funny. Neither did I."

"Perhaps it was merely the crowded streets? Are you at all claustrophobic?" He paused, then smiled. "Forgive me, I never did introduce myself, even though you asked. I am Kamui Gakupo."

"My name is Fujita Saki." Now feeling less disoriented and more awake, Saki studied him. He was impeccably dressing in a pressed suit, but this was accompanied by his long, flowing purple hair. He looked like a host rather than some salary man. It was hard to place his age. He looked like he could be anywhere from in his twenties to thirties.

"Kamui-san caught you when you fainted and carried you to this park," Riko informed her.

"Oh!" Saki looked back at him. "Thank you so much for helping me."

Gakupo inclined his head. "I am glad that I was able to assist you. Unfortunately, I must depart now." He stood up. "Will you both be alright by yourselves?"

Riko was helping Saki sit up. "Yeah, I think we'll be okay."

"Well then, please stay well." He turned, and they girls watched him walk away.

"He was really…polite."

"You really scared me, you know," Riko said. "If you weren't feeling well, you didn't have to come with me…"

"But I felt fine this morning," Saki objected.

"No way."

"But it's true! And I already feel fine." It was true. She didn't feel the least bit faint or nauseous.

Riko looked at her doubtfully. "Well, if you are, then what exactly was that, back there?"

Saki shook her head. "…I don't know."

* * *

><p>"You fainted?!" Kaito's head popped up from where he leaned over his legs.<p>

They were stretching in the dance room before practice began.

Saki nodded. "Yeah, but nothing else happened after that. My mom thought I was getting sick, but it's been a few days and nothing else has happened so she thought it would be fine to come today."

"Maybe you've been working too hard?"

Saki laughed. "That's what my mom said."

"Well if you feel bad, you should take a break. The boss will understand."

"Yup, she said that too. It's okay, I know my own body, and right now, I'm feeling fine."

Kaito pursed his lips, staring at her, but said nothing. Saki pretended not to notice. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

_I'm fine_.

"Okay everybody, ready to get started?" Kai breezed in, quick to business like usual.

_I'm fine_.

Everyone jumped up and got in position. Saki breathed in, breathed out, opened her eyes.

_I'm completely fine._

* * *

><p>The next day, Saki's worry was driven from her mind by Riko when she burst into class and said:<p>

"Guess where we're going for out school trip this year?"

"Uh…I give up, where?"

Riko plopped a brochure on her desk, of a small, nondescript town not too far away. Saki raised an eyebrow. "And this makes you excited—why?"

"Because Vocaloid is going to be there!"

"What?!" Saki slipped out of her chair, wincing as her chin banged into the desk.

Riko raised one eyebrow, but didn't comment.

"That sounds awesome," Saki said, giving the response she knew was expected of her.

"Doesn't it?" Riko gushed, as Saki rubbed her chin, tears springing to her eyes.

* * *

><p>When Saki got to work, she made a beeline for the lobby couch where Kaito was splayed out, staring at the ceiling. He sat up and waved when he saw her coming.<p>

"Hey, Miku, what's—"

"Kaaaiiitooo!" Saki groaned.

"Huh? What? What's wrong? Did I do something?"

Saki grabbed the end of his long blue scarf, giving it a few little tugs. "Could you _please_ start telling me what's happening before I find out secondhand from Riko anymore? It's getting tiring."

Kaito's brow furrowed, and he looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Riko told me that Vocaloid will be performing where I'm going for my school trip…you didn't know?" She added, as she noticed Kaito's eyebrows lowering further.

"No, I didn't know," he said, his voice tight. "Miku, if you'll excuse me, there's something I need to do."

Oh…Okay…" Saki's words trailed off as Kaito strode away.

"Oh, hey, Miku-chan!"

Saki looked up to see Meiko, her arms full of groceries again. "Hey Meiko."

"Hmm?" The brunette tilted her head to the side. "What's wrong?"

Saki shrugged, feeling at a loss. "I don't know. Ask Kaito. I mentioned that Vocaloid would be performing where I'm going for my school trip, but—"

"Eh, we are? Okay."

"You didn't know either? Look, _I'm_used to not knowing what's going on, but I was sure that you would know."

Meiko shook her head. "We always learn what's going on from Kaito."

"But he didn't know about it either."

"Now_ that's_ strange. If Kaito doesn't know, either it was a recent—and I mean _recent_—decision, or something happened that the president doesn't want to tell us."

Saki was taken aback by how calmly Meiko said the last line. "What? That makes the President sound so…unpleasant…"

Meiko's lips drew into a severe line. "Yeah. Unpleasant."

Saki's stomach fluttered uncomfortably at the flatness of her voice.

Meiko shook her head. "Come on, let's go upstairs. We can wait in my room until Kaito gets back and tells us what's up."

Saki perked up. "You're room? Really? I've never been in your room before."

Meiko grinned. "Then it's a great opportunity, hm?"

* * *

><p>What she had called a "room" was really <em>rooms<em>. It was an apartment with a bedroom and living room, a bathroom and a fully functioning kitchen.

"Whoa! Are all the apartments in the building this nice?" Saki asked, as she sank into the giant red couch.

"Well I don't know," Meiko called from the kitchen. "I've only been in a few of the others." She came out with a tray holding drinks and snacks, laughing at the sight of Saki nearly submerged in the couch. She seated herself on the floor in front of the low coffee table. Saki slid off the couch to join her, accepting a drink.

"You know what?" Meiko leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. "We should have a sleepover here!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! We'll pick a weekend after your school trip and you can come over. We'll make it a girls-only thing and invite Rin too."

"Definitely. I already can't wait."

There was a knock on the front door. Meiko got up and trotted over to open it.

"I see you got my text," she said as Kaito walked in.

"Yeah," he replied, looking distracted.

"You okay there?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay." Kaito sat down beside Saki at the table.

"So, how'd it go? You went and talked to him, right? The president?"

Kaito looked up at the ceiling. "He said that there was a last minute change to the schedule, and things worked out better this way. He said he'd just been so busy lately that he hadn't gotten the chance to tell me."

Saki relaxed back against the couch, but Kaito didn't look any less irritated than when she had seen him earlier.

"I hate this," Kaito said. "I feel like he's planning something, and I can't stand it."

"You worry too much," Meiko said, handing Kaito a drink. "Just because he didn't tell you, it doesn't mean that he meant anything bad by it."

Kaito shot her a dark look, and she looked away.

"Is Yamaha-san really that…bad?" Saki asked, her hands twisting together.

For a moment, when Kaito turned to her, the dark look was still on his face, but when he saw her expression, he sighed. He grew calmer, but o less serious. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"Just promise me, Saki." her real name, not 'Miku.' "If you ever meet the President, don't get to close to him. Promise me, okay?"

* * *

><p><em>She was looking at herself. But it was herself as a little girl, her eyes still big, and her face still innocent. She was lying on a plain gray bed, staring back.<em>

_She moved closer, and the little-girl-who-was-her's eyes widened, a big tear drop rolling down her cheek. The child whispered something, but it was inaudible. Saki felt her heart constrict, though she couldn't understand why. She reached out for the girl, but no matter how far she stretched out her hand, not even her fingers grazed her skin._

_And then there was a voice. A cold, indifferent voice. It chilled Saki to her core._

"_She'll be completely under in a few moments, and then we can begin."  
><em>

_The girl's pleading eyes met hers again, and suddenly Saki knew exactly what she was saying._

_"Please…please save me."_

* * *

><p>Saki woke up gasping and trying not to scream.<p>

_It was just a dream,_ the still-functioning rational part of her brain told her. _So why do I feel so honestly terrified_?

Her body gave a violent shudder.

_It was a nightmare. Just that and nothing else, and nightmares do _not_ hurt you. _She repeated it to herself until her eyes drooped shut.

* * *

><p>"At least we don't have to worry about my school, since the principal already knows the situation," Saki said.<p>

"Yeah, that's true," Kaito didn't sound convinced. Or maybe it was because they were on the phone. Saki watched classmates walking by her down the hall. It was lunchtime, and she had already eaten, so Kaito had called her to give her more details about how it was going to work when they got to the little town where the trip was going to be.

"Has he told you anything else?"

"No. Nothing," Kaito growled. She heard him sigh, something he had been doing a lot lately. "Sorry, I'm just having a hard time dealing with his…selfishness."

"It'll be okay, don't worry!" Saki told him forcefully. "Just make the best of it. It'll be kind of like a vacation for us too, you know?"

"I guess."

"Just cheer up, alright?"

"Well, I'll try, but—"

"Saki, there you are!"

Saki's head snapped up. "Riko was heading down the hall towards her at a quick speed.

"Gotta go, Riko's coming," she whispered, and snapped her phone shut.

Riko put her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow. "Look at you, acting all sneaky."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Riko rolled her eyes. "Come on, Saki! This isn't the first time you've been on the phone and hung up so suddenly."

"What? No, that's just a coincidence. You must be imagining things."

"Yeah, sure. So what, is it a boy? I bet it's a boy."

"Riko, I said it was just a coincidence."

"Come on, you can tell me, we're best friends, right?"

"It's not, Riko. It's nothing."

"Then what was that, "Gotta go, Riko's coming," all about, huh?"

Saki kept her mouth from dropping—she couldn't believe that Riko had heard that. "I didn't say that, you must have misheard me!"

Riko frowned. "…Sure. Well, when you're ready to tell me the truth, I'll just be waiting, okay?"

"Riko—Riko wait, I'm not lying to you!" Saki called, but Riko was already walking away from her.

* * *

><p>Aneko: I don't like it when friends fight. :( But yeah, surprise, Gakupo got introduced! Yes, he's ridiculously over-polite. All the time. To everyone.<p>

Also, I do apologize for not giving a name to "the small town" where they're going for the trip. I just didn't want to give out wrong information, so...it remains nameless...

On a completely unrelated note, my birthday was two days ago, so my sister and I went to see Wreck-It Ralph on Saturday. It was so awesome! I was geeking out when I saw Sonic and Pac Man. Like you have no idea.


	9. Chapter 9

Aneko: Liiiiifeeeee! It's killing meeeeee! (Oh the irony :/)

Disclaimer: Do not own.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

"But it's already been a week, Kaito. What if she just…stays mad at me?"

She heard him sigh over the phone. "I'm really sorry, Miku. I didn't think that this was going to happen."

"Yeah, me neither." Saki looked up at her ceiling. She gave a wry chuckle. "Who knew that her hearing would be so good?"

"Miku…"

"I'm okay. Maybe we'll be able to fix it while we're on the trip."

"I hope so."

"The problem is that until then if I can't get her to understand, what am I going to do with myself?" She pulled her knees up to her chest. Although she hadn't had much free time as of late, she had always hung out with Riko whenever she did have time. Up until now, that is.

"Well if you want, you and I could hang out together some time."

"Yeah…wait, what?" It took Saki a moment to realize what he had said.

"I mean, you don't have to, I just thought, you know—we work together but we usually don't get the chance to talk or hang out at all."

"No, that—I mean, that sounds good.."

"Great. How about Saturday, then?"

"Uh, sure. Yeah that sounds good."

"Cool." Saki heard Kaito's name being called by someone else on the other end of the phone. "Oh, sorry. I have to go talk to Meiko about the trip. See you Saturday?"

"Ah—yeah. See you."

Saki hung up and stared stupidly at the phone in her hand. The occasion only brought one word to mind as she stared at the dark screen.

"…A date?"

* * *

><p><em>I don't know why I'm getting so worked up about this. It's just Kaito. Right? Just my coworker. Two friends hanging out together. Nothing big.<em>

She held the third outfit for consideration in fron of the mirror. Clothes were spillin out of her chest of drawers and onto the floor.

"Saki-chan, I just wanted to let you know that I'm—ara, what's going on in here?" Mrs. Fujita's eyebrows rose at the sight of Saki's clothes-covered floor. "It looks like a battleground."

"Mamaaaaa! I don't know what to wear!"

"A boy, is it?" Mrs. Fujita's eyes gleamed with excitement. She held up a dress. "What about this? This is cute."

"But what if it's too cute?"

"What?"

"What if it looks like I'm trying too hard, or presuming too much? Because it might not be a _date_ date, you know, it might like a _kind_ of date, like just as friends, and I don't want him to get the wrong idea, because that would just make if awkward and I would hate—"

"Whoa, slow down!"

Saki stopped and gulped in air as she realized that she hadn't taken a breath during the entire speech.

Her mother shrugged. "Then just be you. Because everyone that knows you likes you as you are."

Saki grinned. "Thanks mom."

"That's my girl—knock him dead!"

* * *

><p>Saki felt accomplished when she reached the meeting spot before Kaito. She checked her watch several times, but the minute hand inched along slowly. When he arrived, she heard him before she saw him.<p>

"Miku—Miku, over here!"

Saki looked up, but it took a moment for her to notice the hand waving for her attention. Her eyes widened as he made his way over to her.

"Kaito? Your hair! You _didn't_—dye it?"

Kaito laughed, tugging on a strand of hair that was undeniably black. "Nope. Just a wig. Remember the girls who made your costume? They got it for me."

Saki leaned closer. "And…brown contacts?" She tilted her head to the side. "You probably didn't have to do that if you have the wig."

Kaito shrugged. "I thought I'd go all out. Besides, there's no harm in wanting to be careful. Now I blend right in with everyone else." He smiled. "You look really cute today, Miku."

"O-oh, thanks." Saki brushed hair behind her ear. "So—where was it you wanted to go? You told me it was a surprise."

Kaito nodded. "Yeah, come on."

When they reached their destination, Saki laughed in delight. "I haven't been to this amusement park in ages!"

"Oh, good. For a little while, I was worried that you'd think it was too childish."

"Of course not—hey! Le's ride that first!"

Kaito laughed as Saki dragged him to the line for one of the roller coasters.

They rode several roller coasters and went through the haunted house, then went on more roller coasters and even the merry go round, getting odd looks from several little kids as Kaito struck a gallant pose on a stationary horse. Eventually, they collapsed onto a bench, watching others enjoy the rides.

"Are you thirsty?" Kaito asked.

"Yeah, a little."

"Wait here. I'll go buy us drinks."

As he left, Saki leaned back, stretching her arms above her head. Above, the blue sky was flecked with foamy white clouds that sailed along in the expanse. She settled back down to people watch: couples walking arm in arm, a group of middle school girls clumped together as they exchanged stories, an oversized mascot handing out balloons to children with fingers sticky from cotton candy and dripping ice cream cones. Music echoed from a ride that was further away.

Saki frowned. It was a faint feeling, nothing too obvious, but she felt the back of her neck prickling. She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off a sudden chill, glancing around. She couldn't pinpoint it, but the feeling of eyes on her was unmistakable.

The mascot across the plaza moved, and Saki felt her heart give a painful start.

A man in a suit. Not old, not young. There wasn't anything remarkable about him really. Their eyes met between strolling couples and school girls.

He smiled at her.

Something not-quite-there pushed at Saki's memory, her heart beating loud.

"Miku. Miku? Miku…"

Something disturbingly familiar about those eyes, something so utterly terrifying.

"…_Saki!"_

Saki started. Kaito was looking down at her, a cold drink in each hand. Saki looked back across the plaza, but the man was gone. Kaito followed her gaze. "What's wrong?"

"Um…nothing." She clutched her hands together to stop the shaking. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

Kaito sat beside her, handing her one of the drinks. "Are you having fun?"

Saki grinned, despite her earlier spooking. "Definitely."

"We should do this again sometime soon, don't you think?"

It only took her a beat to answer with a cheerful, "Yeah!"

"You ready for our little trip coming up?"

Saki suppressed a groan. "Don't even get me started. I just worked out my schedule with my teacher. I'm basically going to be running back and forth between school and Vocaloid the entire time. Less of a vacation and more of a workout."

"You can do it!" Kaito encouraged, making a fighting fist.

"I hope so. Whatever does happen, I hope I can get Riko to start talking to me again."

"Don't worry. She's your best friend, right? I'm sure that you'll be able to make up."

"Yeah…" Saki looked up at the sky. The blue made her think of Kaito.

"Miku?...You okay?"

Saki shifted in her seat. The bench was suddenly quite uncomfortable. "I love Vocaloid. I do. It's just so hard for me to have to lie to Riko about it." She shook her head. "My job and my best friend. Why do I have to choose one?"

Kaito _hmmed, _threading his fingers together. "Don't worry, it'll all work out."

"Easy for you to say. How do you know that for sure?"

"Just trust me. It'll be easier if you try to think positively, don't you think?"

"Whatever you say."

* * *

><p>When they began boarding the buses on the day of the trip, Saki tried to find Riko so she could corner her into them sitting together. By the time she finally managed to get on the bus, though, Riko was already sitting with someone else. Although she kept trying to catch her friend's eye on the bus ride, Riko didn't notice, or she was deliberately trying to ignore her. It didn't take much guessing to figure out which one it was.<p>

Once they reached hotel, Saki had no time to go looking for Riko in the mayhem of unpacking. In the midst of people locating and moving luggage around, Saki pushed through the crowds in search of her teacher. As soon as she saw him and the two made eye contact, the teacher nodded his understanding, and Saki took off.

She skirted her classmates, but luckily, all of them were more concerned with finding their suitcases and checking out what the rooms looked like, so no one saw her disappear around the street corner and away from the hubbub. Saki pulled the directions to where Kaito and the others were staying out of her pocket.

She had talked it over with Kaito, and decided to walk to the inn where he and the others were staying, simply because they would be arriving just now themselves, and tomorrow, Saki would have to leave in the middle of a school event just to get to work anyway, so knowing how to get there on foot would be beneficial. From the directions, it didn't look like it was too far away, so she hoped she wouldn't get lost. Just in case, though, she had her cell phone, and Kaito told her there was a company car that could pick her up.

Half an hour later, she was starting to consider calling Kaito. It shouldn't have taken this long. She always started out okay, but around the middle of the directions, she lost track of the next road she was supposed to walk down. She estimated that she had retraced her steps ten times by now.

Still, though, she really loathed admitting defeat and calling Kaito for a ride. She knew he would be more than happy to come pick her up, but she felt that she was pretty useless if she couldn't follow a simple set of directions.

Saki looked up at the people passing by—everyone appeared to know where they were going—surely one of them would be willing to help her figure out where she was supposed to go.

Reaching forward, Saki tapped the shoulder of the first person she saw. "Excuse me, could you please—oh!"

Having just looked up from the directions, Saki realized who she was talking to.

His eyes widened in recognition as well. "Why, hello there! Fujita-dono, was it not?" His long purple hair was attracting attention from everyone who walked by. One little child even stopped to point at it, before his mother grabbed his hand and pulled him along again.

"Ah, yes. And you're…Kamui-san, right?"

He nodded. "Indeed." He gave her a quizzical look. "What are you doing here? And by yourself no less?"

Saki shrugged. "Oh…you know, a little bit of everything…"

"You are quite the adventurous one…but I believe you were in the midst of asking me a question, were you not?"

"Oh, right!" Saki held up the directions. "I'm trying to find this address."

Gakupo took the paper, and his eyebrows rose. "What a pleasant surprise—I am also headed to this location. Shall we go together?"

"Sure!" Saki agreed, relieved to have company while walking down the unknown streets.

"What business do you have here?" Gakupo asked as they walked.

"Well, I'm…I'm going to visit someone." It wasn't a _total _lie. "And what about you?"

"I am going to begin my new job, and I am going to meet my coworkers."

"Oh, what do you do?"

Gakupo chuckled. "You shall see when we arrive."

"Keeping me in suspense, huh?"

"What can I say?" I have developed a taste for the dramatic."

They continued walking for twenty or so more minutes. Gakupo was more polite than anyone Saki had ever met. On some people, it seemed to come off as fake, or sarcastic, but she was taken aback by how genuine it was.

"Here it is," Gakupo said, gesturing to the inn before them. He held the door open for her and they walked inside. "Where are you meeting your party?"

"Well, he didn't tell me where exactly, so I figured—"

"Miku!" Kaito came striding over. "I was starting to wonder where you—oh, great! You brought Gakupo with you."

Saki blinked. "Wait, what?"

Kaito nodded to Gakupo. "Kamui Gakupo-san here is the newest member of Vocaloid."

"Seriously? What are the odds? Kaito, Kamui-san was the one who helped me when I fainted on my shopping trip with Riko."

"Fujita-dono, how might you be acquainted with Vocaloid?"

Saki and Kaito exchanged a look. "Well, you're already familiar with the names of all the Vocaloid members, tight?"

"Indeed."

"Well, my stage name is Hatsune Miku."

"Ahh, I see." Gakupo looked at her with a more appraising look. "Coworkers and yet neither of us knew it."

"It's nice to meet you again. Just call me Miku."

"Then please call me Gakupo."

"Well, come on, let's get started," Gakupo said. "We've got a costume fitting and dance practice to get to. Gakupo still has to meet everyone else."

* * *

><p>Hours later, her muscles and throat sore from practice, Saki arrived at the hotel her school was staying at, after getting a ride from Kaito in one of the company cars. Her teacher was in the lobby, waiting for her return, and took her to her room upstairs. They were booked with four people per room, with the girls on one floor and the boys on another.<p>

The lights were out in her room, her other roommates asleep, so Saki crept around as carefully as she could, trying not to wake any of them.

As she slid into the last spot available in the two double beds, the girl beside her shifted and rolled over towards Saki.

"So where did you go today?" Though she couldn't see her face very well, Saki recognized Riko's voice.

"Wh-what are you talking about? I've been here all—"

Riko sat up. "Stop it, Saki. I saw you leaving when you thought no one was looking. I just can't figure out who you got to cover for you when sensei came by."

"Riko, I'm sorry, it's just…I…"

Riko waited for a few minutes, but when Saki didn't say anything, she lay down again and rolled over to face the wall.

"Good night."

Saki laid down too, her eyes stinging.

* * *

><p>Aneko: Sad face. :(<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

Aneko: This fiction is taking me forever and a day to finish. I just hope that the end result will be worth it.

Disclaimer: I still don't own it.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

When Saki woke up in the morning, Riko was already gone. Saki got up slowly, a sickened feeling in the pit of her stomach. She looked for her friend at breakfast, but still couldn't find her. She picked at the food on her plate, the sickened feeling growing.

Half an hour later, Saki and her classmates assembled in the lobby for their first activity of the day—a visit to a local and very old shrine. One of the few activities she wouldn't have to miss.

Though the shrine was within reasonable walking distance, everyone boarded the bus to get their large group their easier. A guide was waiting for them when they arrived. The shrine was certainly beautiful, but Saki was more interested in trying to talk to Riko, who she had located at last. She shuffled around her classmates, trying not to bring attention to the fact that she wasn't really listening to the tour information.

As they turned a corner, she finally managed to catch Riko's sleeve. People fowed around them like stream water parted around a rock.

"Riko! I need to talk to you!"

Riko gazed at her. "Ready to tell me everything yet?"

Saki waffled. "Well, uh…"

Riko pulled her arm away. "I guess not."

"Riko, no, please listen—" Saki took a step after her friend's departing back.

The world tilted. Saki blinked furiously, her eyes heavy. She had to—had to—she tried to bring her foot forward, but the feat was too great. She felt her strength give way, and her knees struck the pavement, people still flowing around her. Her vision was fading, but just as it nearly went black, she saw him—

A man in a suit, across the courtyard. Not young, not old.

She shuddered and closed her eyes to the sight, allowing unconsciousness to steal her away.

* * *

><p>When Saki opened her eyes, she couldn't figure out what had happened at first. She was frowning up at the ceiling in thought, when a quiet voice spoke up beside her.<p>

"Saki? Are you alright?"

Saki looked over. Riko was sitting in a chair next to her bed.

"Riko—"

"Don't get up." Riko quickly pushed her friend back onto the pillow. "The doctor said you shouldn't get up quickly or you might faint again."

"Doctor?"

"Yeah, you passed out, remember?"

"Oh, right. Where is everyone?"

"Still at the temple. One of the teachers brought us back to the hotel so you could rest."

Saki thought of how she had been trying to catch Riko, and then—Saki gasped, nearly jumping right off of the bed.

"Riko, listen, I—"

"Saki," Riko interrupted. She stared down at her hands. "I want to apologize. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. Just because there's something you can't tell me, it doesn't mean we can't be friends." She looked up at Saki. "When you fainted, I was really worried about you, and I realized that I'd been acting so stupid. So…can you forgive me?"

"Of course!" Saki laughed, feeling light-headed with relief. "Of course I can! Can you forgive me? For keeping secrets from you even though you're my best friend?"

Riko nodded. "Yeah. And don't worry. If there's something you need to sort out by yourself, I understand. I'll still be your friend no matter what."

Saki hesitated, then shook her head. "No, Riko, you deserve to know. I don't care if I get in trouble for telling you, I'll just deal with it somehow. Riko, I'm—I'm part of Vocaloid."

A brief, heavy silence fell. "…What?"

"Vocaloid—the group you love so much—I'm one of the members."

"What? That's—but—" Riko gestured ineffectually with her hands. "No way! But—"

Saki rolled her eyes. "Ill prove it to you." She looked around the room and saw her phone sitting on the nightstand. She grabbed it and dialed.

"So you finally told her?" Was the first thing Kaito said when he picked up.

Saki was momentarily as silenced as Riko. "Huh? Wait, you knew I Was going to? And what do you mean, _finally_?"

Kaito chuckled. "It was only a matter of time, Miku. She's your best friend."

"Whatever. Look, could you come over to my hotel for a little while? Oh, and bring my wig, would you?"

"A demonstration, huh?"

"Something like that."

"Well, this'll be fun to watch. Be right over."

* * *

><p>Less than half an hour later, there was a knock at their room door.<p>

"That's probably Kaito," Saki said, going to open the door. She had convinced Riko that she was well enough to stand now.

Kaito held up a bag as he entered. "Delivery!"

Saki took it and saw the turquoise fibers of her wig peeking out. "Great! Thanks, Kaito."

Riko's eyes had turned big and round.

Kaito held his hand out to her. "It's nice officially meeting you. Of course, Miku talks about you so much that it feels like I already know you."

"Miku…?" Riko asked in a mystified voice, shaking his head.

"That would be me," Saki said as she tucked the last of her hair under the flowing wig. "Um…ta-dah?"

Riko's mouth made a little 'o' of recognition.

Kaito turned to Saki. "Don't worry about telling Riko. I knew from the beginning that you were going to tell her eventually, so you won't get in trouble."

"From the beginning? Geez, am I that easy to read?"

Kaito shrugged. "You care about your friend. There's nothing wrong with that."

Riko was looking back and forth between the two of them. "Wait, so it—it's true? You're really…"

"Hatsune Miku, at your service."

Riko threw her hands in the air. "And here I thought you just hit your head too hard when you fainted and became delusional or something."

"Wait, fainted?" Kaito turned to Saki. "Miku, you fainted again?"

"Yeah, while we were visiting the shrine. But I feel fine," she added quickly as he opened his mouth.

"Are you sure?"

Saki waved a hand in the air. "Yeah, definitely. I'm fine now." Kaito pursed his lips. "Really!"

He said nothing, and Saki cleared her throat, going to open the window blinds. "Anyways, it's time for work, right? Sorry if I put everyone behind schedule. Today's our first stage rehearsal, right?"

"Yeah, we should get going…maybe Riko-chan should come with us?"

"What—me? Really?"

"Really? Kaito, would that be okay?"

Kaito shrugged. "Sure. All we would have to worry about would be if your teacher said no. I'll go talk to him and see what I can do."

He left the room, and Riko turned to Saki, a big grin spreading across her face as her eyebrows rose.

"_So, _it is a boy after all! I knew I wasn't wrong!"

Saki fell onto the bed, groaning as Riko laughed.

"First name basis and everything!"

"Riko! Advice! Please!"

"Been on a date yet?"

'Um…yes-no."

"What does that mean?"

"Yes, but then again, no…Yes in the sense that we went somewhere together. No in the sense that I don't know if it was as anything more than friends."

"Is he nice to you?"

"He's nice to _everyone_, Riko."

"No, I mean like nicer than he is to everybody else kind of nice."

"How should I know? And besides, what if I'm wrong? I'd never live down the embarrassment."

"You could always ask him."

"Yeah, right!" Saki threw a pillow at Riko.

"I'm just trying to be constructive."

"Or _de_structive."

Riko stuck her tongue out. "Well I _am _trying to help."

"I know." Saki pulled a pillow over her face, until she heard the door open again.

"Good news," Kaito said. "Riko can come with us."

Saki and Riko cheered.

"Well, come on! Let's go!"

* * *

><p>Kaito drove them straight to the stage where Saki enjoyed Riko's silence and stupefied expression. Though it was Saki's first time seeing this particular stage, the crew walking around—doing sound checks, fixing lights—wasn't new, and made her more comfortable.<p>

Saki caught sight of Meiko and the twins on the far side of the stage. "Come on," she told Riko, grabbing her hand and dragging her over to them.

"Ah, Miku-chan."

"Miku-nee!"

"Who's this?"

"Everybody, this is my best friend, Riko."

If Riko was stunned before, she was positively awed now.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Riko-chan." Meiko grinned.

"Y-yeah, same here." Riko gave a slight bow.

"Could you guys look after her for a few minutes? I've got to change."

"Sure!"

Saki ran off to get changed, hearing Meiko say as she left, "Come on, Riko-chan, we'll give you a tour."

Saki went to the auditorium's lobby and to the restroom to change. Since it wasn't concert day, she didn't have to worry about her makeup. Putting on her costume took just a few minutes. A little adjustment to the wig, and she headed out to go back to the stage. She was walking down the hall when she saw further ahead what looked like Kaito's shockingly blue hair. He had his back turned to her. Saki opened her mouth to call out to him, but she froze when she heard him speak.

"…that Saki-chan fainted again?"

Saki wasn't sure why she hid. Her legs just carried her to an alcove some distance away.

There was a pause, then Kaito's voice rang out again, impatiently. "I'm not talking about that! I'm talking about her as a person! If she's affect in _any_ way—"

Saki frowned. What was this about her?

"I want her checked by a doctor, Saito," Kaito continued. After a moment of silence, his voice became more intense. "You _will_ have her checked, and if there's _anything _wrong…just do it!"

She peeked around the corner and saw him snap his phone shut. He stared at it for a few minutes, and then with a sigh, he started to walk down the hall.

Saki watched him leave, unable to get rid of the cold chill running up and down her arms.

That was how Gakupo found her five minutes later, staring after the spot where Kaito had disappeared.

"Miku-dono? Are you alright?"

Starting, Saki looked up. "Gakupo." She blinked and shook her head. "Uh…yes. Yes, I'm fine."

"That is good. I believe it is time for rehearsal, is it not?"

"Yes, you're right." Saki smiled at him. "And I have someone I want you to meet."

"Is that so?" They began walking together. "And who might that be?"

"I have a friend who loves Vocaloid. I told her that I'm Hatsune Miku, and Kaito told me it would be okay for her to watch practice. She's with Meiko, Rin and Len right now."

"I see. I look forward to meeting her, then."

Yhey arrived on the stage. Riko recognized Gakupo from when they had met him while shopping, and was as surprised as Saki had been to learn that he was part of Vocaloid. Saki could only laugh at the expression on her friend's face.

Though they were supposed to start practice, they sat around on stage in a circle for a little while, chatting and getting to know Riko. After the initial shock had worn off, Riko took her association with the group in stride, and having a conversation about school with Rin and Len.

Everyone's laughter echoed around the large room, but Saki couldn't join in. Her eyes kept straying to Kaito—who was laughing with everyone.

What was going on?

* * *

><p>Aneko: So I'm sorry that this chapter is a little short. I just really wanted to post it since it's taking me a long time between updates. I'm going to try to start making them all a little longer, because there's still a ways to go before this is finished.<p>

And also, sorry for any typos in this chapter. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to type with a band aid on top of your index finger (I have a mysterious paper cut that appeared out of nowhere…)


	11. Chapter 11

Aneko: Long live the snow, except for the fact that it kept me from my apartment and finishing Kingdom Hearts. Sad face. :(

And I'm finally finally finally updating this again! I know, it took forever, if anyone even follows this anymore, you have my gratitude for being patient with me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Vocaloid, you lovelies.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

The rest of the trip passed Saki by in a whirlwind of school and practice.

"I'm amazed you haven't fainted again," Riko said when Saki returned late to the hotel one night. "They're running you ragged."

"I'm honestly surprised too," Saki said, closing her eyes.

"You faint on normal days, but when you're hard at work you're completely fine? That's just weird, Saki."

Saki groaned. "I know, I know."

"Well, at least tomorrow's the concert," Riko said, patting her arm. "And then it'll all be fine."

"I hope so," Saki whispered, staring up at the ceiling.

But she couldn't stop seeing Kaito in her mind, and wonder.

* * *

><p>"I wish our school could go to the concert," Riko mumbled, her knees pulled up to her chest. She was watching Saki pack her suitcase. While everyone on the school trip was staying for another night, Saki was going home a day early with Vocaloid to start working on the next project.<p>

"You know how hard it would have been to get tickets for all the students," Saki said, throwing a shirt into her luggage. "Besides, it's not like it's the last concert we're ever going to have."

"I knoooow," Riko whined. "But I just found out my best friend is a part of Vocaloid. Can you blame me for being even more interested than before?"

Saki looked up at the ceiling. "Maybe I can get you a backstage pass to the next concert or—"

"Yes!"

Saki laughed. "Okay, then."

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Both girls shouted.

Kaito walked in and waved. "Good morning."

"Good morning!"

He raised one eyebrow. "You both seem lively this morning." They giggled. "What is it that's making you two so happy?"

Riko and Saki looked at each other and grinned.

"Boys."

"Fashion."

"Make up."

"Girl stuff," they said together.

Kaito shook his head. "Sounds…complicated. You ready to get going, Miku?"

"Yeah, I just have to grab my stuff."

"Here, let me help." Kaito slung her bag onto his shoulder.

"Oh, thanks." Saki turned back to Riko. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Riko raised a fist. "Knock 'em dead."

Saki and Kaito walked out, and Kaito chuckled. She shot a sideways glance at him. "What?"

He gave her an easy smile. "It's nice to see you so happy now. I don't think you were ever your happiest before you told Riko the truth."

Saki shrugged. "Well, yeah. Keeping secrets and lying to someone you care about is really hard, you know?"

"Yeah," Kaito said, his voice so quiet she almost didn't hear it.

* * *

><p>"We're on in five!" A techie called over the backstage hubbub.<p>

'You ready, Miku-chan?" Meiko asked, adjusting Saki's microphone for her.

"Uh-huh," Saki replied. For the concert, she was singing the opening song. She could hear the distant hum of a full crowd, and her pulse sped up with adrenaline.

"Remember, only five steps out of the fogs, or you could fall off the stage," the brunette reminded her.

"Right."

The chattering of the audience faltered as the lights began to flicker. Fog began rolling in from the sides of the stage, and the music started.

_Painfully lying thick like a blinding white snow__  
>Momentarily coming apart here like a sound without breaking into tears.<em>

Five steps, and Saki was in front of the audience. She bobbed her head to the beat of her song, almost getting lost in it.

_I thought I don't feel anything, but the truth is that it hurts so much.__  
>Climbing the long stairs to exhaustion, thinking I've finally met you<em>

_You're not here anymore, I can't accept it__  
>It's no use, would you listen to this song?<em>

_What are you doing now? What do you want to do? I am here__  
>I will send this message: "I loved you"-no, "I love you"<em>

_I thought there's something, but my hand signals meant nothing_

_That warmth, and that gentleness__  
>Aren't there, so, would you listen to this song?<em>

_It's excruciating, It's painful, It's lonely, It hurts, I want to cry__  
>Saying "sorry" before "thank you", I wasn't able to do, aaa<em>

_What are you doing now? What do you want to do? I am here__  
>I will send this message: "I love you"<em>

_Painfully lying thick like a blinding white snow__  
>Living tough like a flower to become happy<em>

People whistled and cheered, and Saki gave a little bow before heading backstage, where she tagged Meiko.

"My turn," Meiko said, and ran out.

Gakupo nodded to Saki. "Nicely done, Miku-dono."

"Thank you," Saki said. "I can't wait to see you go on. I'm sure you'll be even better."

Gakupo smiled. "I thank you for that."

Saki would have responded, but she was being hustled off to be changed into her costume for the next song. By the time they had changed her, Gakupo was already onstage, and the girls were going nuts. It was no wonder—his voice was deeper than Kaito's, and he had a more mysterious look about him.

"Like I said," Saki said when he came backstage again. "That was great."

"Why thank you," Gakupo said. "And now, I do believe it is your turn once again."

"Yup! Me and Rin and Len."

And so the cycle continued as they played tag back and forth, going into the blinding stage lights and approving fans, and back into the dark, hectic backstage area.

After her final song, Saki stumbled gratefully into backstage, somehow locating an empty chair amidst the chaos. She closed her eyes, catching her breath. She must have been sitting there for a while, because Kaito came by sometime later, searching for her.

"Hey, miku…you okay?" He asked. "You aren't looking well…"

She could hear Gakupo singing the final song onstage. She was glad she had made it to the end of the concert, at the very least.

She looked up at Kaito. "Kaito, I'm going to—"

And she fainted.

* * *

><p>When she woke up, someone was carrying her.<p>

"Kaito?" She mumbled.

"Saki?!" The fact that he had not called her Miku let her know just how worried her had been. He looked down at her. "How are you feeling?"

Saki shook her head slightly. "I don't know." Fog still seized her brain in a fuzzy coat.

"Don't worry," Kaito said. "We'll get you home right now."

She felt him shift, and she was laid on a cushiony surface. Kaito said beside her.

"Drive," she heard him say, and the sound of an engine starting. They were in a car. Her head was in his lap. "You're going home now, Saki. We'll be there soon. We're going to send a doctor over, okay?"

Saki nodded, trembling. She saw Kaito's hand and reached for it. He wrapped his fingers around hers in response. "Saki? Are you okay?"

She shook her head. "No."

_I'm not…_

Saki looked up at him. "Kaito, what's wrong with me?"

_I'm not fine at all._

* * *

><p>They drove straight to her house. She fell asleep several times along the way, but she always woke with Kaito still holding her hand and humming to her. When they got there, he carried her inside and up to her room as her mother directed.<p>

"The doctor will be coming by to see her tomorrow," Kaito told Saki's mother as Saki was laid in bed. "I think she'll be alright until then."

"Thank you so much, Kaito-kun,"Mrs. Fujita said. "I have no idea what would have happened had you not been there."

"I just did what I could," Kaito said. "Well, I'd better go. She should sleep." He started to leave, but Saki grabbed the edge of his jacket.

"Kaito…don't leave."

Kaito looked surprised, but he turned back to take her hand away from his jacket. "I promise I'll be back tomorrow, Saki. Right now you need to sleep."

"Okay."

And she did.

* * *

><p>The next day, she felt like nothing had ever happened, but she wasn't allowed to get out of bed until the doctor came and, upon examining her, declared nothing to be wrong. He credited it to overwork and not enough sleep. As he was packing up and leaving, there was a knock on the door. Kaito walked in.<p>

"How are you feeling today?"

Saki sighed. "Restless. I've felt fine since last night, so now I'm just bored."

Kaito sat on the edge of her bed, studying his hands. "Saki, I have a favor to ask you.""

"What is it?"

"I want another doctor to look over you. A different doctor."

"What kind of doctor?"

"I want him to do some blood work and an x-ray."

Saki's fists clutched the comforter. "What's wrong?"

"It's probably nothing. I promise. It's just to make me feel better."

"Okay."

"Just don't worry about it. I promise it's nothing."

* * *

><p>But that was the last she heard about it for a while—first, her mother refused to let her go to work for a few days, though Saki still went to school. When she finally got to go back to work, she had her hands full trying to catch up to everyone else. She didn't see much of Kaito, so he must have been just as busy as she was.<p>

One afternoon, having just run to the office after school, Saki sat on one of the lobby couches, trying to catch her breath. After staying home for so long, everyone was about a week ahead of her in new songs. She'd started running to work so that she could have as much extra time to practice as possible.

Saki stared at the doors, watching people, workers and visitors alike, coming and leaving. As she watched, her gaze was drawn to a patch of soft pink. Saki frowned, squinting. It was too far away for her to identify. Maybe it was a balloon. Saki kept staring at it—it was getting closer.

And then she realized it was a woman. A woman with long, pink hair. She approached the doors to the Yamaha building and walked inside. The proud tilt of her chin didn't falter, even when it became obvious that she didn't know where she was going.

Having gotten very familiar with the layout of the building by now, Saki slid off the couch and walked over to her. "Can I help you?'

The woman turned piercing eyes on her and then frowned. "I need to speak to an employee, not a high schooler."

Saki blinked, taken aback by the sudden snub. "What? But…"

"Miku-dono."

Saki turned. Gakupo was striding across the lobby. "I believe that Kaito-dono was searching for you."

"Oh! Thanks, Gakupo."

They heard a squeak and turned. The woman's face had lost its haughty look. "You…"

Gakupo looked outright astonished. Saki had never seen such extreme emotion—usually he was all stoic politeness.

"Luka."

No honorific.

Luka's eyebrows snapped back into place, and into a glower. "What are _you _doing here?"

The rapidity with which Gakupo's expressions were changing was impressive. "Luka, did you not know that I work here?"

A luminescent blush. She had not.

Saki looked from one to the other. "Wait…is Luka-san by any chance going to be working with us?"

"Correct, Miku-dono. She is going to be the last addition to Vocaloid, Megurine Luka."

'This has to be a mistake!" Luka declared. She turned on her heel and was out the door before Saki could stop her.

"Gakupo, I thought you said she would be joining us…?"

There was a crease on his forehead, which he massaged. "Yes. Luka is quite a stubborn woman. The last time I saw her, I upset her terribly, and now she wished to never see me again."

"I'm sorry…"

Gakupo sighed. "I am too."

* * *

><p>Saki was walking out of the elevator, and someone grabbed her arm. Startled, she looked up to see Kaito.<p>

"I _finally_ got the chance to talk to you," he said, looking worn.

"So you've been busy too, huh?" Saki asked.

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Well, I've been pretty busy myself, so I probably would believe it."

"Anyways, we should go and—"

"Ah, Kaito, there you are."

Kaito froze. Goosebumps erupted all over her skin. She looked up. A man in a suit stood a few feet away from them. Saki hadn't even heard him approaching. He smiled. There was absolutely no warmth in it at all. "We never got to finish our conversation—rather rude of you to rush off in a huff like that when I hadn't even finished talking yet."

Kaito was staring at the floor, his fists clenched. "My apologies, sir."

The man snorted. "Since when have you called me "sir"?" He turned to Saki, and she straightened, despite the churning of her stomach. "So, this is our dear Hatsune Miku-chan. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Yamaha Saito, the president of Yamaha."

He held out his hand, and Saki shook it with great trepidation.

"Well, if you'll excuse us," Kaito said, interrupting the unpleasant quiet. "Miku and I are really busy, so we have to get going."

"Ah yes, of course. Work hard, then." Saito smiled and waved to them.

Kaito grabbed Saki's hand and yanked her down the hall.

"Kaito—Kaito, you're hurting my hand," Saki called, wincing.

"Oh, sorry." Kaito finally stopped, letting go of her hand, and Saki massaged the sore bone.

"Are you okay?" Saki asked. "You looked like you had seen a ghost back there."

Kaito sighed. "Saki, will you promise me something?"

"What is it?"

Kaito grabbed her shoulder. "If you ever meet Saito alone—_ever_—don't stay and talk to him, please. Just walk away from him. It doesn't matter what he says, get away from him. Please."

"What? But Kaito, he's—"

"I know, he's the president. Please just do as I ask."

Looking into his earnest and worried face, Saki nodded. "Okay."

* * *

><p>Aneko: I AM SO SORRY! I'm trying to keep up with this story, but it is going slow because I have a life to keep up with, and horrible homework and blah.<p>

Saki sang "VOiCE," which is a sweet little song if you haven't heard it. About a robot. Yep. It's Wall-e!

Anyway, I don't own that one. And Gakupo is probably singing the song "No Destination." I was just too lazy to put the lyrics…

Oh yeah, and now Luka's in the story too. She's the last Vocaloid I'm going to add, though. For serious. Last one.

Ja ne. :)


	12. Chapter 12

Aneko: Did I tell you that I've been looking forward to this chapter since I started writing? No? Well, then…

This one's a bit longer than the other chapters.

Disclaimer: Don't own Vocaloid, don't own the music.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

"And you didn't ask him why?" Riko asked, a pillow clutched to her chest as she sat on Saki's bed.

Saki shook her head. "I get the feeling…"

"What?"

"Well…that even if I had asked, he wouldn't have told me."

"What makes you say that?"

Saki looked down at her hands. "I don't know…I guess with that and the phone conversation I overheard, I just don't know what he'll tell me any more."

Riko tapped her chin. "It kind of seems like he's trying to protect you from something."

Saki rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure."

"No, really!"

"Whatever…"

"Fine, well what happened after that?"

Saki shrugged. "He took me to one of the other floors and I went and saw the doctor he wanted me to see. They took x-rays and a blood sample."

"And?"

"And nothing. I won't know anything until the results come out."

"Well that was a big wind up to _nothing_."

"Not exactly nothing—it should please you to know that next week I'll be out sick from school."

"Why would that _please_ me?"

"Vocaloid is going on a little field trip to shoot some film for out first music video—well, video, actually, because—"

She was cut off by Riko's squeal. "Oh my gosh! Really?! That's so cool! I wish I could be there! What kind of video are you shooting? Wait, no, no, don't tell me. I'll find out hen the videos air, oh this is so exciting!"

"Riko, breathe."

"Right."

"Well, I will tell you that the theme is fairy tales—that should help keep you occupied for a while."

"Do you have a video with Kaito?"

Saki looked up at the ceiling. "Maybe."

"HA! That means yes."

"But I'm also in videos with everyone else too."

Riko narrowed her eyes. "You said it's a fairy tale theme. Is your video with Kaito a _romantic_ one?"

"…Maybe."

Riko threw up her hands. "Come on! He's got to like you!"

Saki frowned. "No, he hasn't "got" to anything. It's work, that's all."

"You're no fun," Riko grumbled.

"What, you want to raise my hopes unrealistically and then have me be horribly disappointed?"

"You don't know that'll happen. Don't just ignore the possibilities—anything can happen.'

* * *

><p>So, when Saki and everyone else got in cars to go to the shooting location, Saki was a lot more conscious thn usual when she was put next to Kaito in a car all to themselves, as Meiko, Gakupo, Len and Rin had been packed in the other car.<p>

_Thanks a lot, Riko,_ Saki thought.

"Are you excited?" Kaito asked as he pulled the car out of the parking lot.

"Yeah." This, at least was true. Ever since she had learned about the project, she had been excited.

"I've been thinking that we should practice singing. We've already recorded all the vocals, but we never actually got to just sing together."

"Now that you mention it, that's true. It's just been recording booths."

"So what do you say? Shall we sing it together? It'll probably help us get ready for the video shooting."

Saki smiled. "Sure."

_Staring back at you,__  
><em>_Staring back at me,__  
><em>_Locked inside our own closed off world.__  
><em>_Acting oblivious,__  
><em>_but yet we both pretend__  
><em>_our intoxication will be sensed.__As time passes by,__  
><em>_I fell that my heart,__  
><em>_Must keep hidden__  
><em>_So I may approach (you).__  
><em>_I heave a sigh,__  
><em>_because around you,__  
><em>_I feel far from myself.__In an ordinary feeling of love, my heart pounds,__  
><em>_And I,__  
><em>_Will set up my trap for you.__  
><em>_Even though I'm eagerly after you,__  
><em>_I won't__  
><em>_leave fingerprints behind.__Things are not this clear,__  
><em>_my words are all sincere,__  
><em>_and you begin letting your guard down.__  
><em>_It's something you should know__  
><em>_of such a dangerous liquid.__  
><em>_I expect you to drink every last drop.__Rusting from time,__  
><em>_The chains fall apart,__  
><em>_You run away,__  
><em>_With no place to go.__  
><em>_The more seconds...__  
><em>_...echo by...__  
><em>_The more you try to fight.__Let me just say that inside of you, I see__  
><em>_myself, hiding in your memories.__  
><em>_To be linked with the scent of your fear,__  
><em>_Makes me feel quiet unsure of my choices.__In an ordinary feeling of love,__  
><em>_my heart pounds.__  
><em>_And I__  
><em>_will set up my trap for you.__  
><em>_Even though I'm eagerly after you,__  
><em>_I hear,__  
><em>_"Make me yours."__Let me just say that inside of you I see__  
><em>_myself, hiding in your memories.__  
><em>_To be linked with the scene of your smile,__  
><em>_makes me feel so very in love with you._

When they arrived at the shooting location, Saki barely had time to gawk at the magnificent castle-like structure before she was rushed off to wardrobe. When she emerged, she was wearing a floor-length gown with a wide, hooped skirt and laced trim. She plucked at the black, silky material. It was the kind of dress she had only ever seen in storybook pictures.

"Do you like it?"

Saki turned, and her breath caught in her throat. Kaito was leaning against the doorway dressed in a black suit of clothes, with a long suit jacket to match. The ensemble made his hair, topped by a black hat, appear a few shades darker. Saki felt like she had been transported to a gothic fairy tale, and that Kaito might be the vampire to bite her throat, or the demon to steal her away.

"This is starting to feel a lot more real than it did yesterday," she whispered.

Kaito chuckled. Even that sounded darker than usual. "Nervous?"

Saki shook her head. "Not really."

Kaito strode forward, and before Saki realized what was happening, he had her pressed against him. Saki's eyes widened, and she was forced to look up to meet his deep gaze. He ran a hand through her hair. "How about now?"

"N-n-no." Her voice was somewhere between a squeak and a yelp.

"Well then this should be quite fun, don't you agree?" He let her hair slide through his fingers, and then turned on his heel and strode out of the room, leaving behind a very red Saki.

When Saki followed him out and down the hall, she couldn't see anyone. She made her way into the room where their shooting was going to take place, but it was deserted as well. Saki frowned. "Where is everybody?"

"What do you mean?" Saki jumped. Kaito was standing behind her, a small white mask adorning the skin around his eyes. He closed the door she had come through. "It is just the two of us now."

"What about the cameras for the video?"

Kaito smirked. "I'm not sure what you mean. It has always been just us, _my lady_." He swept forward to take her hand, leading her to a table set with a dark tablecloth and two wine glasses. "Come, sit with me."

She lost track of time after that. Everywhere she turned, it was Kaito, sweeping her up in his pace.

Somewhere along the way, she even forgot that they were shooting a music video at all, until she finally heard a snap, and someone called, "Cut! Okay, guys, we'll keep shooting tomorrow. Good job Kaito, good job, Miku." A panel in a wall slid aside, and there was the missing camera crew that she had forgotten about.

Saki blinked and looked around. Through a domed window, she could see that it was getting dark outside, and she became aware of the fact that she hadn't really had any lunch, and was now ravenous.

"Well then, my dearest, I'll see you tomorrow." Saki turned. Kaito gave her another smirk, and then left.

Saki stared in consternation at the door he had left through. "Did…did he just call me "my dearest"?"

"Miku-nee!" Len and Rin came bouncing into the room.

"Oh, hey." Saki smiled. "Did you guys just finish shooting too?"

"Uh-huh!" Rin said as Len nodded. Saki and Kaito had been in one room of the house, while the twins, Gakupo and Meiko had been in other rooms, shooting for their videos. "Did you finish shooting your first video today?"

Saki shook her head. "No. We're going to finish up tomorrow morning, and then go on to the next one."

"Oh, okay. But don't forget! You're going to be in our video too!"

Saki smiled. "Of course not."

"I hope—"

Rin was interrupted by a female voice raised in defiance. "—Not doing it!"

The three of them looked at each other.

Saki frowned. "Hold on. That sounds like—"

"I won't be in a video with _him_."

"…Luka-san?"

Saki walked out into the hall, the twins behind her, and followed the voices to a few rooms down. The door was wide open, but Saki looked inside nervously, feeling like an intruder on a private conversation. There were three people in the room—Luka, Gakupo, and the video director standing between them. Gakupo looked worn out. The director sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry, Megurine-san, but you are now an employee at Yamaha, and that decision is not yours to make."

"Could she not do the video with Kaito-dono?" Gakupo asked.

The director shook his head. "I'm afraid not. The president specifically stated that the video was to be the two of you."

"We'll see about that," Luka said, standing up straighter. "I'll go have a talk with your president and change his mind for him!"

"Luka, you mustn't!"

Saki jumped back as Luka stormed out. She glanced at Saki as she passed, but she didn't stop or slow down. Saki looked back into the room.

"I am very sorry about this," Gakupo said to the director.

"So am I. I wouldn't force this on you, but it's the director's order."

Gakupo nodded. "I understand. Thank you for your hard work." He headed for the door.

"Gakupo? Are you okay?"

The violet-haired man started. He had been so deep in thought that he hadn't seen Saki. He looked at her and gave a wry smile.

"Ah…Hello Miku-dono. Rin-dono, Len-dono."

"Are you okay?" Saki asked again.

"I will be alright."

"Okay. If you need to talk about it, just let me know, though."

Gakupo chuckled. "You are a very caring young woman, Miku-dono. Please do not ever change."

Saki flushed. "Thank you."

* * *

><p>"It was like he was a whole different person."<p>

"Weird…"

Saki was lying on her bed with her head hanging off, so that she had an upside down view of the wall. She was on the phone with Riko, trying to reconcile Kaito's strange behavior from earlier.

"Maybe he was just…trying to be bolder? You know, take the initiative, stuff like that."

"No, it was more than that, it was…" Saki faded off, trying to figure out what she wanted to say.

"Different good or bad?"

"I'm not sure…and what am I supposed to do if he keeps acting this way?"

"What kind of stupid question is _that_?"

Saki frowned and sat up. "What do you mean stupid?! I'm being serious!"

Seriously stupid. What, you're going to change because he started acting funny? That just doesn't make any sense at all."

"But—"

"But nothing. Be you. Saki can't be anyone but Saki, and that's the way it should be."

Saki laughed.

Riko huffed over the phone. "What's so funny?"

"You're just so intense."

"Well, _somebody_ had to keep you from thinking weird things."

* * *

><p>The next morning, Saki reminded herself of what Riko had told her, and left her room to get ready for the shooting. She was walking down the stairs when she heard someone calling her. One of the crew members was hailing her from the bottom of the stairs.<p>

"Is something wrong?" Saki asked when she reached him.

He shook his head. "I just needed to inform you that our plans have changed. We're going to begin shooting the dancing scenes from the second video and finish up with _Cantarella_ later."

"Okay."

Saki headed for wardrobe. Today's costume was another dress with a hooped skirt, thi time of a delicate, pale pink. The effect was just as elegant and fascinating as it had been yesterday.

This video had a lot of waltzing. Saki gave a little twirl and was delighted by the material rustling around her.

"Good morning."

Saki turned. Kaito was standing in the doorway again. Today, though, he word a suit of white clothes, and a smile instead of a smirk—which made her breathe a lot easier.

"Um—good morning." Kaito was staring at her. When he didn't say anything after a few minutes, she began to fidget. "What is it?"

Kaito came forward and, to Saki's surprise, he took her hand, raising it and kissing the back of it. He smiled up at her. "You just look so beautiful. Like a princess."

Saki was certain that her face was flaming, but she couldn't do anything about it. "Th-thank you."

Kaito offered her his arm. "Shall I escort you?"

"Okay." Saki sighed internally. She anticipated another day of being led around by him. They began to walk down the hall, but Kaito led them past the doorway. "Kaito, wait, aren't we supposed to go in there…?"

"What do you mean?" He smiled. "The ballroom is this way."

"Ballroom?"

He opened another door, and Saki halted in her tracks when the crowd of people all turned towards them and bowed. "Uh…Kaito?"

"This way." His hand was on the small of her back, guiding her to the middle of the room. He gestured to the musicians in a corner, and the conductor started the music.

"Have you ever waltzed before?" Kaito asked as he took her hand and rested the other at her waist.

"Kai did teach me a little before we came."

"Ah, good." He pulled her close. "You should do wonderfully, then."

This Kaito was the complete opposite of the Kaito from yesterday. Where yesterday he had been dark, mysterious and possessive, today he was happy, kind and gentle. He guided Saki through the waltz unerringly, his gaze never leaving her face. Around them, extras also danced to the soft music.

Part way through the song, Kaito leaned closer to her ear.

"Shall we escape together?" He asked, his voice low.

"What?"

Kaito twirled her through the crowd. People melted out of their way until they came to a door. Kaito went to open it.

Saki was watching im, but she stiffened when she felt someone brush by her.

But Kaito now had the door open, and the person was gone, leaving behind the heavy weapon in the hand behind her back.

"Shall we go?" Kaito asked, still holding the door.

Saki nodded and walked forward. The weapon was hidden in the folds of her skirt. Her hands shook.

The door swung shut behind them—her chance.

"So—" Kaito turned to her, but the smiled on his face faded when his gaze fell on the knife in her hand.

Saki held the cold metal awkwardly in clammy hands. She didn't want to do this. She closed her eyes, trying to push it forward.

But after a moment of tense silence, she let out a breath.

"I can't do it," she called, and the knife fell from her hands, clattering to the ground.

"Cut!" A panel on the wall slid aside like yesterday, and several members of the crew came out again. Kaito leaned over and picked the knife up off the ground.

"Miku, what's wrong? You were doing just fine until now," the director said.

"I know. I'm sorry," Saki said, looking at her feet. "It just felt…uncomfortable.""

"Miku, it will not hurt me," Kaito said. He pushed the knife into his hand, and the trick blade slid back into the handle. "See?"

"I know that, but…"

The director sighed. "Well, I really can't complain, because you both gave us so much good footage in one take." He paused. "Tell you what—let's break for a little while and then we'll finish shooting _Cantarella."_

Saki headed for her dressing room, but stopped when she heard Kaito call her.

"Miku!" She turned to see him running towards her. "You okay? You still look out of it." Saki stared at him, and he tilted his head to the side. "What is it?"

"Are you…back to normal now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you were so _weird_ yesterday and earlier."

"Weird?"

"I don't know, not yourself."

"Oh, that?" He gave a little laughed. "I was just, you know, getting into character. I thought that it would help make the music video feel more realistic, so that you wouldn't be conscious of the cameras or that you were acting."

"Oh. Well you could have _told_ me," Saki said, laughing. "For a little while I thought that there was something wrong with you."

"Nope, nope. Just me. I'm sorry that I worried you. But think about it—if I _had_ explained what I was doing, then I would have ruined my own reason for doing it. Right?"

"Well, that's true…"

"Anyways, I have to head back to talk to the director. See you in a little while?"

"Yeah."

They parted ways, and Saki changed into her own clothes after getting permission to explore the house for a while until they were ready to start shooting again.

Saki had wanted take a look around ever since they had arrived, but she had been too busy or tired to have the chance.

It was really a western-styled mansion more than a house. And, as she walked around, Saki realized that ir was being lived in, not by any human presence, but from things like the ticking grandfather clock in one hall, and the lack of dust.

_I should probably go back soon, _Saki thought, feeling like she was starting to intrude.

"Ah, Miku-chan. Here you are."

Saki jumped.

* * *

><p>"Okay, thank you very much." Kaito nodded to the director. As he turned to head back to get changed, he heard a message chime. He pressed a hand to his ear. He listened for a moment, and his eyes widened.<p>

Giving a quiet oath, he took off running out of the room.

* * *

><p>"Um, hello, Yamaha-san," Saki said, giving an awkward little bow, not knowing what else to do.<p>

He _tsked_. "No need to be so formal, my dear. We're like family, you and I."

"Right, ah…Saito-san."

"Well, that's a little better. Anyways, I was hoping to get the chance to talk to you alone. You know, to get to know each other better."

"Oh, um, I'm sorry, but I should be getting back," Saki said, remembering Kaito's request.

"But you're on a break," Saito said. "Besides, if you overtax your equipment, you'll faint like you did on your date with Kaito and your school trip."

A cold chill crept up her spine. "Th-that _was_ you?" She asked.

"No need to look so alarmed. I was monitoring you to make sure nothing went terribly wrong with the software."

"_Softerware_…you mean my voice?"

"What?" Saito's eyes widened, but it was obvious he wasn't really surprised at all. "You mean Kaito didn't tell you? What you are?"

"What…I am?"

"Miku!"

"Speak of the devil," Saito said as Kaito came running up. "Since you're here, why don't you tell Miku-chan what you've been hiding from her. Don't you think she deserves to know?"

Kaito stopped in his tracks.

"Kaito?" Saki asked.

Saito laughed. "Well, if you can't tell her, Kaito, then I suppose I'll have to do it."

Kaito jumped. "No, don't!" He shouted.

"Miku-chan, you—"

"Don't! You can't tell her!"

"—aren't human."


	13. Chapter 13

Aneko: And now we're getting to the heart of it, don't you agree? After twelve chapters of, "Where is this story going?" now you finally know what's happening. :P

Disclaimer: I own my ability to put words together on a page. That's it.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

Miku frowned. "Not human?"

Saito chuckled, even though Saki didn't think that there was anything quite funny about the situation. "Well, half-human would probably be more correct."

"Are you trying to make fun of me? Is this some kind of joke? Because I really don't think that—"

"I assure you, it's all completely true," Saito said. He covered his mouth, but Miku still saw that horrible, curled smirk on his face. "Think about it my dear—why would a company such as mine approach an otherwise unknown teenage girl who has had no vocal training whatsoever and turn her into an idol? Yet you didn't think that there was anything wrong with that? That's a little abnormal, wouldn't you say? Why didn't you just ignore Kaito and move on?"

Miku's tongue felt like lead. She shook her head. It _had_ been very strange. Why _hadn't_ she been more suspicious when Kaito had approached her on the street?

"Cat got your tongue? I'll tell you why—it's because there's a part of you that was made to do this—literally _created_ to."

"What? No, that's—"

"Kaito had you x-rayed, remember? The results came out weeks ago, didn't you ever wonder why he never showed them to you or mentioned it ever again?"

"Kaito?" Saki asked. "But you told me…that they weren't finished…" He stared at the floor.

"What, oh what could he have wanted to hide?" Saito circled around behind Kaito, putting a hand on his shoulder. From his suit he pulled out a sealed envelope. He held it out to Saki. "Don't you want to know?"

Miku looked at Kaito, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. She took the envelope and slid her finger under the seal.

She had never seen an x-ray before, but she knew what the human ribcage was supposed to look like, and she knew that what she was looking at was not right.

"A little over eleven years ago," Saito said. "I developed a computer software. It was the third of its kind. Singing software." He stopped and tapped Kaito under the chin, forcing him to look up. "You're looking at the second unit. But anyways, your software—that is, Hatsune Miku's software—was originally meant to go in a unit like Kaito's, and Meiko's. But someone stole the data, and we didn't locate it until it was too late—until the data had been put inside your body using a special sort of machine." Saito pursed his lips. "Which makes me wonder…since the Hatsune Miku software was created to carry its own personality, are you Fujita Saki, or are you Hatsune Miku?"

"What is this, a science fiction show? This is a really _elaborate _prank, but—"

"It's not a _prank_," Saito said giving a little snicker. He slid up next to her, running his fingers through her hair, whispering in her ear. "_Think about it, Miku-chan_. Isn't there a part of you that believes me?"

Saki shook her head, backing up. "You could be…hypnotizing me, or something."

Saito's eyebrow's rose. "No offense, my dear, but I would not put that much time into playing a trick on someone. Truly—just think about it. A girl who never had any vocal training, yet you can sing perfectly. Adopted, and never knew your parents—the perfect subject for a…cruel…experiment like this. Tell me, how far back can you remember?"

"I—" Miku halted. How far back…she couldn't even remember meeting her parents, and she had been eight when that had happened. There was only one other thing—a dream. _Just_ a dream, right?

_She'll be under in a few minutes, and then we can begin."_

"Please…please save me."

A little girl, her eyes still big, her face still innocent.

Not a dream. A memory.

_Whose?  
><em>

Hers.

_Mine?  
><em>

Not human.

_Not—_

Saki slapped a hand over her mouth, feeling sick.

Saito tapped his chin, seemingly unaware of her discomfort. "So, technically, you are a part of Yamaha property, since Hatsune Miku belongs to me." He paused, tilting his head to the side. "And to think, Kaito knew the truth this entire time and he didn't tell you. How cruel…to think he didn't tell you what you really are." Saito snickered. "To keep the secret for this long—that must mean he told the others not to tell you, either."

"Kaito? " Saki whispered.

He dragged his gaze away from his feet to meet hers, and Saki felt dizzy with nausea.

"Hatsune-san! Kaito-san!"

The heavy atmosphere was broken when Miku heard someone calling her name. One of the men from the filming crew came down the hall towards them. We're going to start shooting again soon, so you two should go change for _Cantarella_."

"Y-yes, of course!" Miku turned away from Kaito and Saito, and walked away.

* * *

><p>When she came out of the dressing room, Kaito was waiting for her, leaning against the wall. He jumped up when he heard her walking over.<p>

"Miku, I—"

"We should head over now. I think they're anxious about starting the shooting," Miku said, smiling brightly, and walked past him, her heart twisting and bending into uncomfortable shapes.

* * *

><p>"Okay!" The director called as he saw her walk into the room. "We'll be shooting the bedroom scene now, so everybody get in place."<p>

Saki sighed. Of course that would be her luck. Right when she least wanted to talk to Kaito, she had to get very close to him.

But also just her luck, she was blindfolded when they started shooting the scene. They laid her on the bed and started shooting. Miku struggled not to fidget, feeling awkward.

She felt the bed under her sink down as Kaito sat beside her.

"Miku?"

Saki kept her mouth firmly shut.

"Miku, please talk to me."

She nearly jumped when she felt his fingers on her forehead. He pulled the blindfold away, but Saki didn't open her eyes.

"Miku, please! I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth."

Saki grit her teeth, her throat burning. She still said nothing, and for a while, Kaito seemed to be waiting, but eventually he sighed.

"_Saki_," he pleaded.

Saki finally opened her eyes. Kaito's head was bowed low, his hair curtained over his face.

"Kaito," she whispered. "How could you do this to me?"

His eyes widened, and he reached forward to grab her, holding her close. "Saki, I'm sorry!"

From how tight he held her, Saki was starting to believe him.

But she made the mistake of looking over his shoulder, coming eye to eyes with a camera lens. Hatsune Miku looked back at her, her eyes sad. Saki pushed Kaito away from herself as hard as she could, getting off the bed and running out the door, hearing the director yell "cut!" as she fled.

* * *

><p>"Miku, wait!" Kaito was following after her, but she ignored him, heading down halls and around corners until she found the door that would take her outside.<p>

She didn't really have anywhere she wanted to be—just _away_, as far as she could be.

"Miku!"

She flew down a set of stairs, not pausing when she hit the bottom. But she was stopped when Kaito managed to grab her arm.

"Miku, _wait!_"

"Let go of me," Saki spat, livid. Kaito dropped her arm immediately, probably more out of surprise than anything else.

Miku took a moment to breathe, composing herself so she wouldn't shout again. "…I need to be alone right now, Kaito. Please just leave me alone. You've already…done enough. Just go."

"Miku, just let me explain."

Saki shook her head, her throat burning. "You lied to me, Kaito," she whispered.

Kaito opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Saki turned and walked away, and this time, he didn't follow her.

* * *

><p>She ran and ran and ran, ending up next to a small lake. She paced over the gravel, the blood pounding in her head as she tried to catch her breath.<p>

_So, technically, you are a part of Yamaha property, since Hatsune Miku belongs to me."_

"_Saki can only be Saki."_

"_Are you Fujita Saki, or are you Hatsune Miku?"_

Saki grit her teeth. "_Who…JUST WHO AM I?!" _She screamed.

Her voice echoed out over the lake, rebounding without answer. She sat down on the ground, wiping the heated tears from her cheeks. Maybe if she just stayed here, no one would ever come find her, and she could just pretend it never happened. People would forget about Hatsune Miku, and she could go home and just be Fujita Saki again.

But the more she thought about it, the more her throat constricted. She wanted to hate this, to hate Vocaloid, but she just couldn't.

Miku didn't hear any approaching footsteps, but she felt the hand on her arm. She slapped it away, an ember of her anger flaring back to life.

"I told you to leave me alone, Kaito!"

There was a chuckle, and then a voice that wasn't Kaito's. "Really? Well, what if your company is not the blue-haired young man? I am just a harmless old man, you know."

Miku looked up. Behind her was a gentleman with snowy white hair. He smiled at her, and small wrinkles spiderwebbed from the corners of his eyes. His hands rested in his lap, and an expressionless woman held the handlebars to his wheelchair.

He held a handkerchief out to her. "You are Hatsune Miku-san, isn't that right?"

Miku took the handkerchief and wiped at her eyes.. "Yes, um…"

My name is Yamaha Daisuke."

Saki felt something in her chest plummet to her feet. "…Yamaha?"

"A name I'm sure you find very familiar thanks to my son."

"The president is your son?"

"Yes he is, though from the look on your face, we have both caused you much grief."

"We've never met before. How could you have done anything to hurt me?"

"It's true, we've never met," Daisuke agreed. "But you see, I was the one who originally thought of the idea that gave birth to the Vocaloids. You see her?" He gestured to the stone-faced woman behind him. "Her name is Noel."

"It's nice to meet you," Saki said.

Daisuke shook his head. "She won't respond, Hatsune-san. She can't. I suppose I'm just a sentimental old man for giving her a real name instead of a serial number."

"What?"

"Noel is a program. One of the first ones I ever created. I designed her with a human body shape because humans are very dexterous creatures. And originally, I fesigned her for a different purpose—to help my granddaughter."

"Your granddaughter?"

From a pocket, he withdrew a picture that was worn around the edges, handing it to Saki.

"When she was young, she was in a bad car accident, and her legs became paralyzed. I wanted to make it easier for her to get places and do things, so I created Noel to be her assistant."

The girl in the picture had a radiant smile on her young face. "But if that's true, why do you have Noel now?"

"I created a newer program for my granddaughter—one more capable of meeting her needs, and had a more human air to it—it can respond when she talks to it. But you see, I couldn't bear to just get rid of Noel. After my wife died, and as I've gotten older, she has been very helpful to me."

"But what does that have to do with Voccaloid?"

"When I made the new program, I used technology that allowed it to speak, like I said. My son saw that and saw nothing but profit to be gained. That was how the Vocaloids were dreamed up. How Meiko, Kaito, Len and Rin, Gackupo and Luka were all imagined."

"But I'm still _different_ from them," Saki whispered. She pulled her arms around herself, feeling cold. "This body isn't even mine—whoever I _am_, anyways. I guess it doesn't matter, though, does it?" Miku struggled against the burn in her throat and the wetness in her eyes.

"Listen to me, my dear." Miku looked up at him. Daisuke leaned forward. "No matter what happens, the only person you can ever be is _you_. People may tell you who to be all the time, but what it comes down to is how _you_ decide to act. It may not be "your" body, but it is your _life, _and that is what you really need to remember."

Saki wiped her eyes and smiled at him. "Thank you, Yamaha-san."

Daisuke leaned back, looking satisfied. "So, young lady, what are you going to do now?"

Saki stood up, brushing the dirt from her clothes. She lifter her head, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. From her lips poured forth a note. There were no words, just pure, sweet sound. When she stopped, she looked at Daisuke.

"I'm going to sing. Not because I was created to do it, but because I love it. I won't let my name define me. I will define it." Saki smiled. "I'm me, and I'm here. What more could I want?"

Daisuke nodded. "I knew you'd look better with a smile."

Saki bowed to him. "Thank you so much, Yamaha-san."

"Not at all," Daisuke said. "And now, we should probably be getting back. I'm sure they are worried about you. Allow me to escort you?"

"Oh—thank you."

They began to make their way back, when a thought occurred to Saki. "Yamaha-san, what exactly were you doing out here?"

"I saw you run outside from an upstairs window, and I was afraid something was wrong."

Saki was puzzled. "Upstairs?"

"Yes. My room is on the second floor."

"You live here?!"

Daisuke chuckled. "Every house is lived in by someone…I offered the space for the video shooting. It's far too big a space for me to live in all by myself, so I wanted to make use of it."

"I had no idea we were intruding in someone else's house."

"Intruding? Not at all, child. It is nice to have the house full of noise."

When they reached the front door, Daisuke said goodbye. "I'm afraid I have business that I must take care of," he told her.

Saki looked at the door and sighed. She was still feeling light-headed, but she took a deep breath and went inside.

She headed upstairs first, planning to go back to wardrobe and apologize for going outside in the dress for the music video.

She had just reached the top of the stair when it reached her—a faint strain of piano music. A slow, quietly sad sound. Saki couldn't help but follow it. It grew louder as she wandered down the hall, and she ended up in front of a door that was slightly ajar. She pushed it open as gently as she could and peered around the door. It led to a balcony overlooking another room. The piano music drifted up from below. Saki went to the edge of the railing and looked down. It was a library, as the walls were lined with towering bookshelves. Near one corner was a grand piano.

Luka was seated before the instrument, her eyes almost closed. Her hands drifted lightly over the keys, giving that sad sound. For a few moments, there was just the piano. Then, the tempo picked up, and the notes slipped into a deeper octave as she began to sing.

_Just be friends__  
><em>_All we gotta do__  
><em>_Is just be friends__  
><em>_It's time to say goodbye__  
><em>_Just be friends__  
><em>_All we gotta do__  
><em>_Is just be friends__  
><em>_Just be friends  
><em>_Just be friends_

_In the morning light of yesterday I suddenly realized__  
><em>_As I gathered up the broken shards of what use to be__  
><em>_I wasn't thinking straight__  
><em>_And I cut my finger by mistake__  
><em>_Is this what really became of the love we once both dreamed of?_

_I always knew the truth__  
><em>_at the bottom of my shy, beating heart__  
><em>_That making a choice__  
><em>_wouldn't mend but tear us more apart__  
><em>_Love was never my thing__  
><em>_It's so confusing and it stings__  
><em>_There are no words that can excuse__  
><em>_all the mistakes that I've made__*The world around me__  
><em>_Is decaying as your saying those words__  
><em>_I am struggling but it's all that I can do.__  
><em>_I remember your smile__  
><em>_It was just so worthwhile__  
><em>_Now it's a memory_

_No matter how I screamed out,__  
><em>_only echoes answered me__  
><em>_My love, you're something I cannot live without__  
><em>_Your hand is no longer at the end of the red ribbon__  
><em>_Nothing is left to connect the two of us anymore__  
><em>_I tried so hard to hold our cracking love together__  
><em>_But I crumbled and the shards fell to the floor_

_"There's nothing we can do, life is just like that, baby"__  
><em>_As you said that, someone else's tears dripped down my dry cheeks._

Saki sat on the floor, watching through the bars of the railing.

"It is a beautiful song, is it not?"

Saki jumped. She hadn't even realized that Gakupo was standing on the balcony beside her until he spoke.

"Yes." She turned back towards Luka. "But…it's also sad."

_In the midnight light of yesterday I suddenly realized_

_Picking up the fallen petals was just so meaningless.__  
><em>_Why did I never understand?__  
><em>_They can only wither and turn gray in my hand.__  
><em>_My world lost all its color and stopped turning long ago._

Gakupo sat next to Saki with his back against the railing. "That is true." He looked up at the ceiling.

"Gakupo, is this…did she write this herself?"

"Yes. And I know what you are thinking, and yes—it is from when she and I became distant from each other."

Saki turned towards him. "Gakupo, exactly what happened between you?"

Gakupo sighed. "When we were preparing to join Vocaloid, we were preparing together. We got along well. One day, I was supposed to meet her so we could have a meal together. However, I found out that I was to be leaving town that day—almost immediately—to come to the Yamaha headquarters. I never said goodbye. She is under the impression that I did it on purpose—stood her up and made a fool of her. No matter how I try, she will not allow me to explain why I left."

_No matter how I screamed out,  
>only echoes answered me<em>

"But—that's not fair at all!"

Gakupo shrugged. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. She will not allow me to explain, so part of the fault lies with me…Miku-dono?" He asked as Saki stood up.

"Sorry, Gakupo, I have to go! I'll see you later!" Saki called as she ran out the door.

Gakupo turned back to watch Luka, a small smile on his face.

_No matter how I screamed out, _  
><em>only echoes answered me<em>  
><em>My love, you're something I cannot live without<em>  
><em>Your hand is no longer at the end of the red ribbon<em>  
><em>Nothing is left to connect the two of us anymore<em>  
><em>I tried so hard to hold our cracking love together<em>  
><em>But I crumbled and the shards fell to the floor. <em>

_"There's nothing we can do, life is just like that, baby"_  
><em>As you said that, someone else's tears dripped down my dry cheeks.<em>

He wasn't in the room where they had been filming, but the very disgruntled film director was, and Saki made at least twenty apologies for her behavior.

He sighed. "Well that's one down. If you see Kaito, make him apologize too. I haven't seen him since he ran off after you."

At a loss, Saki checked the dressing rooms and bedrooms. She was passing a window when she saw a shock of blue. She backtracked to look, and sure enough, it was Kaito, laying out in the grass.

* * *

><p>His eyes were closed, but when Saki leaned over him, blocking the sun, he opened his eyes and jumped up, nearly colliding with Saki's head.<p>

Saki raised one eyebrow. "What are you doing out here?"

"I…I was…"

_Worrying, I bet_, Saki thought. He hadn't even changed out of his costume from the music video. she guessed he had been wandering around for a while.

She took a deep breath. "Kaito, why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't do it to hurt you, I just—" Kaito sighed. "Originally, I did intend to tell you. When we first met, I knew that you would find out eventually. But as I started to get to know you…I put it off. And I kept putting it off until it was too late. And I should not have kept it from you, and told everyone else not to tell you. It was stupid and wrong, I know. I just…" He halted like he had been tugged by a noose. "As I started to get to know you, I didn't _want_ to tell you, because I knew it would be hard on you."

"Ignorance is bliss, huh?" Saki asked.

Kaito bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

Saki bit her lip. "You know, Kaito, I was talking to Gakupo earlier. About how he and Luka don't talk anymore. I realized I didn't want things to be like that between us."

She wasn't really sure why she did it, but she didn't feel shy at all about walking over to Kaito and wrapping her arms around him.

"S-Saki?!"

She smiled into his shirt at the sound of her own name.

"Thank you for telling me the truth. You were really just trying to protect me, weren't you?"

He didn't say anything, but his arms wrapping around her back told her the answer.

* * *

><p>Aneko: It's long. SO LONG!<p>

The translation of _Just be Friends_ was done by the wonderful and talented **Amanda Lee (Leeandlie)** from Youtube. She did a dub of the slower piano version. It is beautiful and you should listen to it. :) Plus, if you like it, she has a download available. (Yes, yes, shameless plug…). I didn't include all of it, so you should go listen to it.

Well, see you whenever I get the chance to update next time!


	14. I've Never Been More Homesick

Aneko: Chapter fourteeeeeeeeeenn! I apologize for this completely random updating schedule going on. But then again, I think that's the way I've always written, whether it's fanfiction or anything else.

AND AND AND! As of this chapter, this fiction has the most chapters out of any fiction I've ever written. :) Yay, hooray!

Disclaimer: Don't own Vocaloid, even though I wish I diiiiiddddd!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter fourteen<strong>

_"I close my eyes and I see your face_

_If home's where your heart is then I'm out of place,_

_Lord won't you give me strength to make it through somehow_

_I've never been more homesick than now."  
><em>

_Mercy Me_

Kaito pulled back from Saki. "We need to talk."

They did not go back inside. Instead, they walked across the grounds, until they reached the lake Saki had found earlier. They sat in the shade of a cherry blossom tree, facing each other.

For a few minutes, they were silent, until Kaito sighed. "So now you know everything."

"Saito-san said that you and Meiko and everyone else are programs…" Saki let the half question hand in the air.

Kaito nodded. "We're essentially just computers that can move and speak."

Saki frowned. "I can't really imagine it. I mean, you look like a human. You sound like one. You _act _like one."

"I can prove it to you, if you want."

"How?"

He reached up to the top of his black coat, unbuttoning it. Beneath was a white shirt and a waistcoat. He hesitated before beginning to unbutton his shirt. "Don't freak out too much, okay?"

He shrugged out of his shirt, and just when Saki was starting to wonder about the statement, he touched the skin at his collarbone and peeled it away from his chest.

Saki didn't scream, exactly. She just jumped back and gave a little garbled yell. She put a hand over her mouth, looking up at him sheepishly. "Sorry."

"It's okay. It must be strange to see."

Where his skin used to be, there was a metal plate.

"This is where my interface panel is," Kaito explained, tapping the metal. "I've got a battery life, the way a laptop does, so in order to keep going, it needs to be charged at night."

"May I see?"

Kaito reached for the left side of his chest near his arm. There was a slight indent in the metal, which he pushed down, and the metal plate swung outward.

"This is my circuit board."

Saki had no idea what was what. All it looked like to her was a bunch of flickering lights and jacks. She looked up at Kaito's face, then back down at the inside of his chest.

"It's just so strange to think about. That you're not…" She drifted off, but they both knew what she had almost said. "It's so strange. Your hand…when I touch it, it's warm, but that's not the same warmth that a human has." She took his hand and felt it. It was indeed quite warm.

Kaito shrugged. "My system getting heated while in use."

"But you blink, you move, you do everything that a human can do…"

"Saito—" He spat the name. "—wanted us to be as realistic as possible. Really, if you think about it, living creatures are more intricate creations than anything else in the world. Most people don't think about it, but the coordination it takes for everything in your body to go right…it is amazing."

They fell silent again. Saki pulled shreds of grass from the ground by her feet as Kaito closed the panel and pulled his shirt back on. Eventually, though, she cleared her throat. "So, now that I know the truth, you'll tell me about the check up you made me go through, right?"

Kaito flinched.

Saki felt her stomach drop. "…Kaito?"

"Ah, right, your results—"

"Does it have to do with my fainting that's been happening?"

"How did you know?"

Saki gave him a look. "It wasn't that hard to realize. You asked me right after I had recovered from fainting at the concert. I figured you and I were thinking the same thing."

Kaito stared hard at the ground. A muscle twitched in his jaw.

"Kaito." Saki took his hand. "You have to tell me. No more secrets, okay?"

He nodded and let out a breath. "The doctor said the reason you've been fainting is because of the software in your body. Since you hadn't sung anything since you were a little girl, the software remained dormant for many years, sleeping, kind of. When you did start singing, the software "woke up," I guess. But your body can't handle it. Your immune system has been trying to reject it, like a virus, but the software is _attached_ to you, and so your body has been exhausting itself in trying to get rid of it."

"So every time I sing, my body gets more rundown. But Kaito, the first times I did faint, I hadn't been singing at the time."

"The doctor said that the first two times were just delayed reactions, signals taking a while to get to the brain." Kaito bit his lip. "Saki…if there isn't a way to fix it, you shouldn't be singing any more. He said…that even if you didn't continue to sing, that there is a large chance that your body would still continue to deteriorate."

"Why can't we just…find some way to turn it off? Or I could go into surgery to have it taken out, right?"

Kaito shook his head. "Once it activated, it can't just be…'turned off.' Since the software has been in your body since you were young, your body has accommodated it into bone growth and such. It's basically imbedded in you, so because of its location, if you tried surgery, there would be a very low percent chance of you surviving the operation.."

Saki took a deep, deep breath, and then she let it go. "So, is there a way to 'fix' it?"

"I don't know. But there has to be someone we can ask. We'll figure it out."

Saki nodded, then paused, giggling. "Yeah. After we go back and apologize to the director for completely running off like we did."

Kaito's eyes widened. "I totally forgot!"

Saki laughed. "I noticed that. Well, should we go back to shooting for the videos? It should be fine, right? Since we won't be singing until we go back to the recording studio."

"Yeah, let's go."

* * *

><p>They went back inside, and Kaito practically prostrated himself to the director in apology. The man rolled his eyes. "Well, at least you've already given me plenty of footage to work with. While you were gone, I had time to figure out what's already useable, and what else we still need." He raised one eyebrow. "And since your costumes are looking a little worn from your adventure, go change into your <em>Cendrillon<em> costumes and we'll keep shooting that."

"Okay."

"Kaito, I was wondering," Saki said as they walked to the stairs. "Remember when I asked about why you were being so weird during the video shooting? Was that _really_ just you 'getting into character,' or…"

"Well, sort of. Physically, it was me, and I _remember_ talking to you at those times, but I wasn't really the one talking to you."

Saki opened her mouth. "How does that work?"

"You believe me?"

"At this point, if I didn't, that would be a pretty bad case of denial, don't you think?"

Kaito laughed. "I guess so. Well, for me, it's kind of like…the way you'd change the background on a computer screen—while it may seem different, it's the same computer. If I make certain small adjustments to my program, I can change my speech pattern and a few behaviors. As a computer, I have 'personality parameters.' I was given certain character traits to stick to as a rule for how I act every day. But by altering the coding slightly, I can modify those parameters. Not by much, but enough to make my acting more realistic."

"Then I guess 'getting into character' actually _is_ the perfect description."

"I really did do it to help you. I thought that if you weren't just _trying_ to act for the cameras, we would have an easier time filming."

Saki crossed her arms. "That was a weird way of doing things."

"I'm sorry."

"Just…don't do it again, okay? I'd much rather be in a video with the real Kaito this time."

He smiled. "Okay."

* * *

><p>The rest of the shooting that day went off without a problem. Saki was almost too tired after she got back to her room to shower, but she knew she would regret it if she didn't, so she forced herself off of the bed where she had collapsed and headed for the bathroom.<p>

When she was done, she went back to fall onto the bed again, staring up at the ceiling.

_Vocaloid_. Her head had yet to stop spinning. This morning felt like it had happened a week ago. The more she thought about everything that had happened, the colder she felt. Saki covered her eyes with the palms of her hands. _Don't think about it_, her mind whispered. _Just don't think…You will be fine._

She didn't even realize her phone was going off at first, she was so lost in thought. When she finally picked up, her mother's cheerful voice was on the other end.

_You'll be…_

"Hi, Saki! I just wanted to check up on you. How's the video shooting going, sweetheart?"

Saki pulled her knees to her chest. "Mom…"

"Hmm? What is it, Saki? You sound upset."

"It's, ah…" Saki swallowed. "It's nothing. It's just nice to hear your voice."

…_Fine…_

"Hm?" She heard her mother chuckle. "Are you homesick? It's only been a couple of days."

Saki looked out her window, where stars were beginning to flicker into existence.

"Yeah. I guess I am."

"Well, only a few more days and you'll be home again."

"Right."

"Good night, sweetheart."

"Good night, mom."

She rested her head on her knees and took a few slow, deep breaths. "I _am_ fine!"

Saki threw her phone on the bed and got up. All her tiredness had deserted her, so she grabbed a jacket, pulled on her shoes, and headed for the door.

Since it wasn't all that late yet, some of the film crew was still around, checking over their equipment, moving props around, talking to the director. Saki skirted by close to the wall in an effort to keep out of their way. She was passing a doorway when she heard piano music.

She went back to it and pushed the door open. It was the bottom entrance to the library she had been on the balcony of earlier, and Luka was at the piano, playing the same song. Saki tried to close the door quietly, but just as the latch clicked, Luka spoke.

"What do you want?" Her hands continued to float over the keyboard.

"Oh, uh—well, I heard you playing and I wanted to come and listen because it was so beautiful."

"There is a reason I'm playing _alone_, and not where anyone can see."

Saki frowned. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were trying to keep it private."

"Well there certainly aren't any camera crews or microphones around, are there?"

Saki let out a puff of air. She was running out of the ability to be polite.

"Haven't you left yet?" Luka asked.

Saki almost turned and headed for the door.

Almost.

Instead, she plopped herself down in a chair by the wall. "You know, I think you need to make up with Gakupo."

The sound produced as Luka's hands slipped on the keyboard was absolutely horrendous. Saki tried not to be too pleased by the reaction.

"You—what—?!"

Saki couldn't help chuckling. "It's really not that hard to figure out, Luka-san. You aren't that big on hiding your feelings. All I had to do was ask Gakupo, and—"

"Oh, so you got the whole story from _him_, huh?" Luka snapped. "What did he tell you, that I'm being stupid? Petty?"

Saki looked up at her. "He said he was sorry."

Luka's mouth was open, but no sound came out. "W-well he should be!"

"He also said that you wouldn't let him explain. That's not very fair.'

"What do _you_ know?! It's not like you know how it feels."

"Well, actually, I almost got into the same situation with Kaito. He had been hiding things from me, and I didn't want to listen to him or believe him about anything…ever again. I thought everything he said would just be some kind of excuse and that I could never trust him again. I almost decided to never speak to him again. But I was wrong. I did talk to him, and I forgave him."

Luka wasn't looking at her. Her gaze was fixed somewhere in the opposite direction.

"People don't try to explain themselves so persistently unless they care—otherwise Gakupo would have given up by now. Anyways, don't you think you'd be happier if you guys could talk again?"

Luka's face was bright red. She slammed the cover down on the piano hard enough to make Saki wince, and then she was out the door.

Saki scratched the back of her head, staring at the door. "I hope I didn't just make things worse for Gakupo."

* * *

><p>The next day, as there was a break in the shooting, Saki sought out Kaito.<p>

"I still have questions about Vocaloid," she said when she saw him. "Could we go talk somewhere?"

"Sure. We're still on break for a little while longer."

They sat on the staircase, where they were out of hearing and sight, but close enough to get back to the shooting in a few moments.

"So what did you want to ask?" Kaito said, leaning back against the step behind him.

"It's really just silly stuff. Like, how come you can eat and drink? I've seen it on enough occasions to know you can."

Kaito laughed. "Oh, stuff like that. Well, Saito wanted us to be as human-like as possible, so I have the ability to eat and drink without harming my operating systems. The food simply goes to a special compartment in my frame where it does no damage."

Saki did not comment on how much that made him sound like a trash can. "It sounds pretty obvious that this has been kept secret from everyone, not just me."

Kaito looked down at his hands clasped together on his knees. "Saito saw the profit in a group of singers who don't age, who can sing anything as long as it's in our database, and…" he stopped.

"And what?"

He glanced at her, then looked away. "And can't feel."

"What? No. No, that's not true. Kaito, you—there's just no way that—"

"Saki." She hated the look on his face. "I'm a machine. One of the things that sets us apart from humans is that we don't feel."

Saki shook her head and stood up. "No."

"No?"

"No, I don't think that's true. I _know_ that's not true."

Kaito ran a hand through his hair. "Saki, no matter what it may look like, we can't feel. Remember what I told you yesterday—about our personality parameters? They dictate how we react in different situations."

"But you 'think,' right? You have likes and dislikes. Did _Saito_ give you those?"

"Not directly. But my personality—"

"Is what gives you your likes and dislikes just like everyone. 'Parameters' don't matter—people all have certain ways and patterns that they act in. Kaito, if you all didn't have feelings, you wouldn't have tried to spare my feelings about the whole Vocaloid thing, and Gakupo and Luka-san wouldn't be so caught up in this problem between them. Luka-san wouldn't be acting so irrationally."

Kaito gave a feeble chuckle. "Don't let her hear you say she's irrational."

"See?!" Saki jabbed a finger at him. "You just pointed it out too—if I said that to Luka-san, she wouldn't like that—she would get angry."

Kaito put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, you got me…Tell me, Saki, do you have a magical power that makes people agree with you?"

Saki plopped back down beside him. "Wouldn't _that_ be nice? I tried to talk to Luka-san about Gakupo last night. I don't think it helped anything."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that. Look over there."

Saki looked where he was pointing. Luka and Gakupo were standing close together in costumes Saki didn't recognize. They spoke for a few moments, and then Gakupo offered Luka his arm, which she took, and they walked down the hall together.

"Well how about that…I guess we'll have to ask Gakupo about that later."

"So it's 'happily ever after' huh?" Kaito asked.

Saki allowed herself to lean slightly into his arm. "For now, I guess."

"That sounds ominous."

"I can't help it. I tried to tell my mom last night about the…program. I couldn't do it. I don't know what to say, and even if I do, what if she doesn't believe me? And we still don't know if the problem can be fixed." Saki's hands were twisting together in her lap.

"Saki, calm down." Kaito put a hand on her shoulder. "We _will_ figure this out. And about your mom—I'll go with you to talk to her."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And don't worry about her not believing you. Remember?" He knocked against his chest. "Proof."

"Yeah, that'll convince her if all else fails. I just hope it doesn't all fail…" Saki pursed her lips. "And actually, it would be best to tell Riko at the same time. It would save us the trouble of another explanation."

"Good idea."

"And _then_ we can figure out some way to fix me."

"There will be a solution, Saki."

Saki sighed. "I know. I just hope it doesn't mean I have to stop singing forever."

* * *

><p>Aneko: I think I'm going to go back to all my old chapters and rename the chapter headings. To actual names instead of "Chapter blah blah." Because you know, that's just too boring.<p>

Lyrics at top by Mercy Me.


	15. Even Heroes Have the Right to Bleed

Aneko: Hello~! How is your summer going? Mine's going well, as long as I don't have to set foot outside. Toooo muuuch heeeeeaaaat!

OMG guys. Forever and a day, but I'm finally updating.

Disclaimer: I don't own any Vocaloids, and honestly don't have enough talent to use one.

* * *

><p><strong>Even Heroes Have the Right to Bleed<strong>

_I can't stand to fly_  
><em>I'm not that naïve<em>  
><em>I'm just out to find<em>  
><em>The better part of me<em>

_I'm more than a bird,_  
><em>I'm more than a plane<em>  
><em>I'm more than some pretty face beside a train<em>  
><em>It's not easy to be me<em>

_I wish that I could cry_  
><em>Fall upon my knees<em>  
><em>Find a way to lie<em>  
><em>'Bout a home I'll never see<em>

_-Superman (It's Not Easy), Five for Fighting_

Saki stretched, leaning back in her seat. "That week went by faster than I thought it would. I can't believe we're already going back home."

Kaito shifted the car into drive. "After all that shooting we did, I really wonder what those videos are going to look like."

"They'll be great, I just know it. You said that it would take a few weeks until they're on TV, right?"

"Yeah, the footage has to be edited and then matched to the music. Considering how many videos we shot, that's going to take a while."

"You know what?" Saki asked. "We should have a little party when the videos come out."

"That sounds like fun."

"We could even do it at my house—I'm sure my mom would like to meet the people I work with."

"Oh yeah—she's only officially met me, hasn't she?"

"Yeah. She's mentioned wanting to meet them before, but since we're always so busy, I've never had the chance."

"Well why don't you ask her when we get back?"

"Okay. Right after we talk to her about…the other thing."

Kaito glanced at her. "We don't have to do this right when we get back if you don't want to."

"No. I have to do this now. If I don't, I think I'll lose my nerve…I'm starting to understand why you were having so much trouble telling _me_ about this."

"If we have to, I can tell her for you."

"No." Saki stared at the road ahead of them. "I'm a big girl. I can handle it."

"And what am I?"

"Back up." Kaito chuckled, and Saki smiled a little bit. "Really, though, don't do anything unless I ask. You just being there will really help."

"As you wish."

They pulled up in front of Saki's house about an hour later. Saki's mother was standing outside the door waiting for them.

"So, how was your week?" She asked as she hugged Saki.

"Busy," Saki answered.

"Well come on inside, both of you, and tell me about it."

Saki had just walked in the door when she was nearly tackled to the ground by Riko.

"You're finally back! How was it? Did you have fun? Where did you shoot the videos? Did you take pictures?"

Saki laughed. "Calm down, Riko!"

"Why don't you kids go into the living room while I make some tea?" Mrs. Fujita suggested.

A little while later, they sat in the living room with their tea.

"Come on, don't keep us waiting," Riko said, nudging Saki. "Tell us about your week."

Kaito nodded to her.

Saki fixed her gaze on her tea. "Before that, there's something important I wanted to tell you."

"Oh, Saki." Riko put a hand on her arm. "Did you and Kaito finally start dating?"

"What?! No! _Riko!_" Saki flushed.

Kaito chuckled. "It feels just like the time I met your mother."

Saki cleared her throat. "No, really, I need to tell you something important." She took a minute to look at the ceiling. "I'm, um…not completely…human."

"What do you mean 'not human?'"

"Well…"

* * *

><p>They were very quiet after she finished. Mrs. Fujita was the first to start speaking. "Saki my dear…where would you get an idea for a story like this?"<p>

"It's not a story—it's true."

Mrs. Fujita frowned. "Now honey, I think you've taken the prank a bit—"

"It's _not_ a prank! Please believe me!" Saki blinked rapidly, rubbing at her eyes. "M-mama," she whispered. "I'm scared. Please. I need you to believe me."

"Mrs. Fujita, I think she's telling the truth."

Saki looked up. Riko smiled at her.

"R-Riko, you believe me?"

"We're friends, right?" Riko pulled out her handkerchief and wiped off the tears on Saki's face. "You aren't the kind of person to pull this kind of prank, and you told me you wouldn't lie to me anymore, so what you're saying has to be true, right?"

Saki gave her friend a huge hug, trying not to start seriously crying.

"You make it sound so easy, Riko-chan," Mrs. Fujita said, sighing.

Riko shrugged. "That's because it _is_ easy. You either believe her, or you don't."

Saki noticed Kaito was watching her, and she nodded to him.

"Mom, I can prove it to you."

Both Mrs. Fujita and Riko turned towards her. "Really?"

"Yeah."

Riko rolled her eyes. "If I had known you were going to bring out proof, I should have just waited to declare my belief in you until you showed at us."

Saki stared at her. "Your lack of concern never ceases to amaze me. Anyways—Kaito."

Their reactions to Kaito peeling back his skin and opening the metal plate were quite entertaining. Mrs. Fujita couldn't manage to make any sound at all, while Riko actually leaned forward to get a closer look.

"Can I touch it?"

_"Riko!"_

Kaito laughed. "No, it's okay, Mrs. Fujita. Go ahead, Riko-chan, as long as you don't hit any switches, or I might have an error."

Saki was sitting in a way that didn't allow her to see the front of Kaito's chest, so all she did see was Riko's hand disappearing into his chest. It was one of the strangest things she'd probably ever seen.

Mrs. Fujita also got up to look. She shook her head. "I want to say it's a trick, but it's too real to be one."

"Now do you believe me?"

"As much as I wish it wasn't so, I don't see how I _can't_ believe you."

"Believe me, I wish it wasn't true either."

"Well of all the problems I expected in raising a teenage girl, this most definitely was not on the list…" Mrs. Fujita said.

Saki gave a little half-hearted laugh. "No, I'm sure you didn't."

"So…now, if you don't figure something out, you're going to have to quit being Hatsune Miku?" Riko asked.

"Probably."

"Is it selfish of me to hope that doesn't happen?"

Saki smiled, shaking her head. "No. I don't want it to happen either."

"You'll figure it out, Saki," Mrs. Fujita said. "There is a solution. I know it."

"Thanks, mom."

"Now that we know, will you tell us about your week?" Riko asked, the familiar gleam of curiosity in her eyes.

"You're incorrigible."

* * *

><p>"Kaito, thank you for today," Saki said as she walked him to the front gate.<p>

"I'm glad I was able to help. Tomorrow we can focus on a solution to your problem."

"Oh…yeah."

"Saki? Are you okay?"

Saki's grip on the gate tightened. "No," she admitted. "I'm just…really, really worried."

"…You know what? Come with me."

"Wh—hey! Kaito, where are you taking me?"

"Just come on!" He called, tugging on her hand to pull her along.

* * *

><p>"Kaito! Slow down! I can't run anymore!" Saki pulled her hand out of his grip and leaned over, trying to catch her breath.<p>

"Sorry, I keep forgetting that humans can run out of breath," Kaito said, laughing sheepishly.

"I'll make sure to remind you next time you _kidnap _me," she weezed.

He had packed her back into the car, and they drove. Any questions she had attempted to ask were met with "You'll see" or "Just wait a little longer," or "I'll tell you in a little while," so Saki had given up and just slumped down into her seat until they arrived at a parking lot that she had found familiar, but couldn't quite place, until now, after her had dragged her to the front gates of the theme park.

As she stared up at it, Kaito was going up to the ticket booth.

"You need cheering up," he said when he came back, handing her a ticket.

Saki sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. "Thanks, Kaito, but I don't know. I'm not really in the mood."

"Exactly, that's the point."

"But I didn't even tell my mom, and—"

"Oh, I already told her."

She looked at him quizzically. "How? You didn't have your phone out the entire time we were on our way here."

"Oh—I have a sort of…internal communication system that allows me to send messages to other people."

Saki's eyebrows rose. "So whenever I messaged your phone, I was actually sending it straight to you?"

"Yup."

Saki threw her hands in the air. "Is there anything you _can't_ do?"

"…Play solitaire? Now, come on!" He grabbed her hand yet again and pulled her inside.

"But why here?" Saki asked.

"Because you needed to do something fun. Like I said, you need to cheer up."

"I'm afraid it doesn't work like that, Kaito. It's not like the problem will just go away if I try not to think about it."

"I know. But if you act this defeared tomorrow, we're going to have a hard time figuring out what to do. I don't want to make you forget, just happier."

Saki crossed her arms. "It's not like I'm trying to act this way. I can't help it. I mean, what do you want me to do?"

"Close your eyes."

Huh? You actually want me to do something?"

"Come on, just do it?"

"I don't se how this is supposed to cheer me up," she said, but she closed her eyes obediently. She felt Kaito lift her hand and place something square in it.

"Okay. You can open them now."

She looked down at her palm. It was a small black box. She opened it, and inside was a delicate silver pendant shaped like a treble clef.

"Turn it over."

One the back, in small characters, was written _Fujita Saki_.

Saki didn't mean to start crying, she really didn't, but she couldn't help it.

"Whoa, hey! You're supposed to be happy," Kaito said in alarm at the sight of her tears.

"I _am_ happy!" Saki cried, hugging him. "I'm really happy! So happy I just started to…"

She felt Kaito pat her back. "I figured that one thing that's been hard has been hearing people call you Hatsune Miku. But you aren't. No matter what Saito said, you are Fujita Saki."

Saki nodded. She didn't feel like pulling her head out of his shirt to respond.

"May I put it on you?" Kaito pulled it out, and the clef swung down from a silver chain. Kaito pulled the hair away from her neck so that he could loop the necklace around it. "There. All done."

Saki looked down at it. "Thank you, Kaito." She smiled, wiping tears off her cheek. "But did we really have to come all the way out to the theme park for this?"

"Of course. We're here to have fun!"

"Okay…well, what should we do first?"

"_Oh_ no—this is your day—Fujita Saki's—so _you_ get to decide where we're going."

"Okay then—how about over here?"

They headed toward one of several lines. Although it hadn't been long since she had previously come with Kaito, the rides were just as fun as when she had ridden them before.

By the time they had ridden almost all the rides, the sun was going down.

"Come on, one more," Kaito said.

"Which one?"

"That?" He pointed out the Ferris wheel, the one ride they hadn't gone on the last time. The line was surprisingly short, and they were soon seated in one of the closed in pods, beginning a slow ascent into the sky. Saki looked out and saw the lights on the rides were beginning to turn on as the sun went down. The world was turning gold in the light.

"How are you feeling now?"

She turned back to Kaito. Better. I'm still worried—but I don't think there's anything I can do about that. But I am better. I didn't think I'd be able to feel happy while I'm in this situation…but you made it possible. From the beginning, you've been looking out for me, even when I didn't know it. I don't know what I would have done without you."

Kaito leaned back, looking outside. "In the beginning, I was just supposed to find you and give you the information—that's all. But I just couldn't leave you alone. I told you before—it was nice to see you, always so cheerful. I wanted to protect that happiness."He hesitated, looking uncertain about what he was going to say next. "Saki, you told me that you believe that we Vocaloids have feelings, didn't you?"

Saki didn't know why, but she got the urge to sit up straighter. Yes. I do."

Kaito smiled. "In that case, I think I love you."

She wasn't sure how to interpret the quick beating of her heart.

Kaito took one of her hands. "Don't worry about it. I'm not looking for an answer or anything. Just things being the way they are right now makes me happy.'

* * *

><p>The next morning, Saki was still feeling breathless from Kaito's confession. She was so out of it that she nearly walked out of the house in her pajamas. Luckily, Mrs. Fujita was paying more attention than her daughter, and stopped her before she could get out the door.<p>

Since it was a Sunday, Saki didn't have school. Instead, she headed for the Yamaha building after she had eaten and gotten dressed. She and Kaito had agreed to meet in the lobby to figure out what to do next. When she arrived, Saki did not see him, so she settled in on one of the lobby couches. After a few minutes, he still had not appeared. She took out her phone and was about to text him, when she heard a voice behind her.

"Ah, Saki-san, it's good to see you again."

Saki looked up. "..Daisuke-san?"

Sure enough, Noel was pushing the older man's wheelchair over to the couch where she sat.

"But what are you doing here, sir?"

"Ah, well, I hardly ever come here anymore, but I couldn't say no to a personal request."

"Eh? Personal request?"

"Yes." He folded his hands together in his lap. "I do believe I would be able to help you with your problem, Saki-san."

* * *

><p>Aneko: I promise I am working on this story. From the sporadic updates, you may not believe me, but I really am. Really really.<p>

And yes, there is a reference to The Princess Bride (no owny) in here.

Edit: The excerpt at the top is from Superman (It's Not Easy) by Five for Fighting, which I don't own.


	16. Open Your Eyes And See

Aneko: Not much to say, really. It's too hot to think…summer is brutal.

Disclaimer: Don't own Vocaloid.

* * *

><p><strong>Bursting Through the Seams, Open Your Eyes and See<strong>

_Eyes open wide, blinded by the sun now_  
><em>Orange and white, dark red, green and yellow<em>  
><em>Rainbow colors! Do not hide, see the view! <em>  
><em>Step aside, go through!<em>

_Against the light, too strong, blow a fuse now_  
><em>Everything bright, new songs, burning shoes<em>  
><em>The look in your eyes! Break our bones into half! <em>  
><em>Scream and shout and do laugh!<em>

-Sticks and Stones, Jonsi

Saki's eyes widened. "Wha—really?! You really think—"

Daisuke held up a hand to stop her. "Be careful. I said I would help, but I can't make any promises about the results."

"I understand. Just the fact that you can help at all is more than I ever could have asked for." Saki paused. "But you said you came here after a personal request?"

"I did indeed."

"But who—"

Saki! Sorry I'm late!" Kaito came running up. "Ah, Daisuke-sama, you're already here too?"

"Wait, you two know each other?" Saki asked.

"Quite well," Daisuke said. "I created Kaito's unit."

Saki's eyebrows rose. "I thought Saito-san invented Vocaloid."

"I'm sure he'd like you to think that. He did head the project, but he didn't personally create any of the units. That was my job, until recently."

"You should have told me that when we met before. I would have liked to know."

"Wait, _you_ two have met?" Kaito asked.

Saki nodded. "Daisuke-san really helped me out during the video shooting…If he hadn't talked to me, I don't know what would have happened. I would have told you about it, Kaito, but I didn't know you knew him. All he told me was that he was Saito-san's father."

Daisuke chuckled. "Well, now that we all know we know each other, shall we get down to business?"

"Oh, right," Saki said. "So…what are we going to do?"

"I'd like to take a look at you for myself, if you don't mind. Shall we head upstairs to the lab?"

The lab was the same one Kaito had taken her to for the check up a couple of weeks ago. Because the space was somewhat small, Daisuke had Noel wait outside, and wheeled his chair around by himself. He didn't perform many tests, other than to run a new x-ray, which didn't really take long at all.

"Well as you can see, the x-ray is not much different from the one you already have," he said. "This spot here is where the software is imbedded." He circled the spot with an extendable pointed, since the board was higher on the wall than he could reach in his wheelchair. "It's extremely close to your heart, which is one of the reasons it would be incredibly risky to try to remove it."

"So you think there's some other kind of solution, Daisuke-san?" Saki asked.

Daisuke crossed his arms and looked at the x-ray for a few minutes. "Give me a few days time, and I'll see what I can do. Kaito, your only job is to prevent her from singing, understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Saki-san."

"Yes?"

Daisuke sighed. "Don't tell my son what we're doing. There is a chance he could still find out, but we're going to try and prevent that."

"Okay."

* * *

><p>"Kaito, why is it that no matter what it is, no one wants to tell Saito-san anything? He's our boss, isn't he?"<p>

Kaito turned to her. They were just stepping out of the elevator. "Because Saito is the kind of person who enjoys the misery of others. He will take any bad thing and twist it, and twist it until it becomes the most painful thing you've ever experiences. You didn't think he was telling you the truth to be kind, did you? The reason I never wanted you to talk to him was because I didn't want him to give you any kind of pain."

"But Kaito, if he takes any opportunity he can get, why didn't he tell me about my…illness?"

"Ah, about that. I have a theory."

"Theory?"

Kaito nodded. "I believe that the reason he didn't is because he knew that we would work on fixing it."

"That seems contradictory, if he's going for the misery of others."

"It's not when you realize that he's always after profit. We're all just merchandise to him, so naturally he'd want us all to work properly so he can keep making profit."

"Wow. I feel objectified."

"Don't let your guard down. Just because he's left this alone doesn't mean he won't find something else to hurt. Probably the worst part is that whatever he says is always true."

"Wait, what?"

"From all my experience, he has never lied. Whatever bad news he uses to break someone, it's something true—which means it hurts all the more. He really is scum."

"Remind me why we're working for him again?"

Kaito sighed. "We don't have a choice. I mean, you do, but not Meiko, the twins, Gakupo, Luka and I. If we cause him any trouble, Saito could reprogram all of us so that we don't disobey. We can't escape him. That's why he tortures us all he wants—even if we try to leave, he can stop us with the click of a mouse."

Saki jumped as Kaito slammed his fist into the wall.

"Kaito? Are you okay?"

He shook his head. "It's frustrating, being unable to control your own life."

"If only there was something we could do about this," Saki murmured.

"Well, if anyone can figure something out, it's you," Kaito said.

"What makes you say that?"

"Since you're not like us, you're the only one who can." He shook his head again. "Don't worry about that, though. Right now, the most important thing is you. You come first, okay?"

Saki couldn't fight the blush on her face as she smiled, looking down at her feet. "Thank you."

"Oh—hey, Saki-chan! I've been looking for you!"

Saki looked up. Meiko was strolling towards them. "Hey, Meiko."

Meiko looped her arm through Saki's. "We have a girls-only sleepover to plan, remember?"

"Sounds like you two are busy, so I think I'll leave you to it," Kaito said.

"Oh yes, begone, scram. Shoo, shoo!" Meiko said, waving him away. After he had walked off, Meiko turned back to Saki. "How are you, by the way?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I heard about what's going on with you. Are you okay? Haven't fainted lately?"

Saki smiled. "No, I'm okay. I'm guessing Kaito told you?"

Meiko nodded. "He told everybody. We'll help in any way we can."

"Thanks, but I'm not sure what you can do to help in this situation."

"I just want you to know that we're here for you."

"Thanks, Meiko."

"Now, about that sleepover…"

* * *

><p>Saki shuffled the music in her hand, flipping through the pages to make sure they were in order. While she couldn't sing right now, she could still help everyone else out. At the moment, she was retrieving music from the library for the twins.<p>

"I'm feeling _so_ disappointed here, Miku-chan. I thought for sure you'd have paid me a visit by now."

The hair on the back of Saki's neck stood up as a shiver passed through her, but she managed to turn around and give a slight bow. "I'm sorry, Saito—" She caught the end of the sentence. "—san."

They were the only two people in the hall. Saki wished Kaito would just come out of nowhere and sweep her away, the way he had last time.

"Come now, we have so much to catch up on. You must regale me with stories of the time you spent masquerading as a human."

It didn't hurt as much as she thought it would, but Saki still tightened her fingers around the music in her hands, the paper wrinkling.

She gave Saito one of her most beautiful smiles. "Maybe some other time. You've given us so much work to do. I'll be a while, so why don't you go find something, ah…_useful_ to do?"

And she turned and walked away trying not to smile.

"So, Miku-chan, has Kaito told you he loves you yet?"

She stopped.

Saito chuckled as she turned back. "I see by your expression that he has. I'm surprised it took him so long to tell you. According to his code it should have occurred several weeks ago, though. I suppose your being only part Miku has something to do with it."

She tried not to. A voice in her head told her it was stupid, but she had to ask.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh—that Kaito was programmed to fall in love with Hatsune Miku, and it sounds like that finally came into effect."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. You can't 'program' feelings."

"Can't I, though? He is a computer, after all. He's nothing but programming."

"I refuse to believe that."

Saito shrugged, a snide smile on his face. "Believe what you want. But just know that when he looks in your eyes, Miku-chan, he loves you because I made him that way."

Saki felt a twinge of discomfort in her chest, but she took a couple of deep breaths and managed to smile at him politely. "I'm sorry, Saito-san, but you must be mistaken, because my name is Fujita Saki, not Hatsune Miku. So I guess that programming didn't work out after all, did it?"

She turned away again and headed down the hall, and he didn't stop her.

_"From all my experience, he has never lied. Whatever bad news he uses to break someone, it's _

_something true."_

Saki closed her eyes and swallowed. "Which means it hurts more," she whispered to herself.

The chorus of _Cantarella_ started playing, and Saki pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Saki-san." It was Daisuke. "Could you come to the lab for me? I need to do another test."

"Okay."

* * *

><p>"Just sit on that examination table for me, and I'll get it ready."<p>

"Okay." She sat, and watched as Daisuke retrieved a vial from a lower cabinet. He used it to mix a white powder and some clear liquid, measuring them out carefully beforehand.

"Now, I want you to drink this."

Saki downed the contents of the vial, grimacing and giving an involuntary shudder. "That tastes disgusting."

Daisuke chuckled. He brought over an x-ray screen. "Yes, well, medicine usually does."

Saki perked up a little. "Medicine?"

"Yes. If it works like I'm hoping it does, though, I'll put it in pill capsules for you and the taste won't be a problem. Now just sit still for a few minutes while I observe."

"Okay."

She sat and waited.

After a few minutes, Daisuke looked at his watch. "That should be good…now, I'd like you to sing for me. If this works, you should suffer no ill effects from doing so."

Saki took a deep breath and started singing tentatively.

_The lonely girl is forever dreaming of something she can't reach and__  
><em>

_Churning, churning the insides of her flustered mind._

_"There's no problem." she mutters; has she lost her words?_

_Another failure, another failure.__  
><em>

_If it ends in search of the mistakes, once again, she'll spin!  
><em>

_One more time, one more time.__  
><em>

_"I'll roll today too."__  
><em>

_The girl says, the girl says__  
><em>

_While playing with the meanings in her words! _

_"Are you all right now?"__  
><em>

_"Not just yet, because there's still a long ways to go and I can't see the end. Stop breathing, right now."_

_The rollingirl is but a mere shadow of who she once was, unable to reach the colour on the other side __  
><em>

_The overlapping voices mixing, mixing with each other._

Daisuke stared at the x-ray screen as she sang. When she had finished, he scribbled down some notes on a clipboard.

"According to my notes, if you're going to have a negative reaction, it's going to occur before the end of the day. But as I said, I am hopeful that this will work."

"Okay." Saki fell silent as she watched Daisuke put the used equipment in a sink. "Daisuke-san, may I ask you a question?"

"What is it my dear?" Daisuke turned to look at her.

"It's just…I heard from Saito that Kaito was programmed to fall in love with Hatsune Miku. I was wondering if that was true."

"I am assuming, then, that Kaito has said something along those lines to you?"

Saki found her hands fascinating, her face pink, but she nodded.

Daisuke sighed, scratching his chin. "I will not lie to you, dear. When we made Hatsune Miku's unit, it was meant to have a…certain level of interaction with Kaito's. It was Saito's belief that having two units who seemed involved that way, it would generate more attention from fans and reporters and such."

"I see."

"However." Saki looked up at him. "I do not think that is the case here."

"Why? You said it yourself—Kaito and Hatsune Miku were meant to be. So he was just seeing the Hatsune Miku part of me."

"Now, now—you didn't let me finish. The reason I don't think that happened here is because of you. What I mean is, you _aren't_ Hatsune Miku. You're Fujita Saki. Yes, you have Miku's singing software, but nothing other than that—you are your own person. I am even more sure now than I was when we first met. That software doesn't define anything about you, except maybe giving you the desire to sing."

Saki shook her head. "But there's still the possibility."

Daisuke folded his hands together. "Saki-san, listen. That part of Kaito's code wasn't meant to be something definite."

"What do you mean?"

"When Saito said he wanted to created that attraction between Miku and Kaito, I had my doubts. Attraction is decided by the people who are involved, not those around them. So as I created Miku, all I did was make it a fifty-fifty chance that it would actually happen. It's somewhat hard to explain, but in other words, there was no real certainty that it would become active, even if you were Miku. Do you understand?"

Saki nodded.

"Good. Come now—where's that lovely smile I know you've got hidden in there somewhere?" The corners of her lips turned up a bit. "Feel better?"

"Well…yes, actually."

"Wonderful!"

Saki took a breath and looked up at the ceiling. "I wasn't wrong when I talked to Saito about it, then."

"Oh? What did you say to him?"

"That I was Fujita Saki, and not Hatsune Miku, so the programming didn't work out."

"And you believe it?"

Saki contemplated it honestly. "Yes."

"You see?" Daisuke raised a finger in the air for emphasis. "_Now_ you're getting it."

Saki grinned. "Yeah. I guess I am."

* * *

><p>The next morning, Saki bounded up to Kaito, wearing the biggest grin he had ever seen on her face.<p>

"What's got you so happy?"

She could barely form a sentence she was so excited, but eventually, Kaito got "Daisuke-san," "medicine" and "no fainting" out of her.

Kaito's eyes widened, and he hugged Saki so hard he lifted her off the ground. "Saki, this is great! It worked. _It worked!_"

"What's going on with you two, getting all buddy-buddy?" Meiko and the twins were watching them. Meiko grinned. "Finally dating, are you?"

Saki was too happy to be embarrassed. "Daisuke-san's medicine worked—I can sing again!"

The twins' faces lit up.

"Does that mean that—"

"We can sing with Saki-nee-chan again?"

"We received your message, Kaito-dono." Saki turned and saw Luka and Gakupo coming from the other direction. "I am so glad that Saki-dono has been cured."

Luka nodded, but didn't say anything.

"We have to celebrate!" Meiko called, raising a fist in the air. "Should we go to dinner? How about bowling?"

Saki shook her head quickly, before Meiko got carried away. "The thing I want to do more than anything else right now is sing with everyone."

Rin and Len grabbed her hands, wearing matching smiles. "Then let's go."

They made a very noisy procession as they walked down the hall, down to the lobby and out the front door.

"Don't you want to record it?"

"No, I just want to _sing_, it doesn't matter what."

"Oh! But it has to be a happy song!"

"Well, duh! That's obvious."

"Hey, I just had a great idea, guys!"

"Do tell."

"If we aren't going to record, I have the perfect idea for where we should go to sing. Come on!"

"Wait, hold on! I didn't agree _running_!"

"Meiko-nee-chan sounfs like an old lady!"

"Hey! I do not!"

"Slow down, guys! I can't keep up!"

"Our humble apologies, Saki-dono. Shall I carry you?"

"What? No!"

"Hey, here it is!"

It was a grassy hill in a local park, empty because of the time of day. They spread out and kept chattering.

"We could sing _Honey."_

"You always want to sing that."

"So what? It's a good song."

"What about this?"

Saki closed her eyes. It was the most beautiful kind of chaos.

* * *

><p>Aneko: Okay, here's the dealio. I was going to put a song here at the end, BUT because Vocaloids are apparently the outlets of only the emo muffins of the world, I couldn't find one that was happy. SO only one song, 'kay? And it's Rollin'girl, which I don't own.<p>

Edit: And now I have added the wonderful lyrics excerpt from the beginning, which I don't own. It's Sticks and Stones, sung by Jonsi, and it is magnificent. If you've ever seen How to Train Your Dragon, it's the song in the end credits. Love that movie, like you guys don't even know.


	17. Another Wave of Tension

Aneko: It's seriously hard for me to believe that I'm already on chapter seventeen of this fiction. Like, you don't even know. I never had a chapter number planned out, even though I knew how the fiction was going to go. I just let the flow carry me wherever it needed to go with regards to where chapters ended and such. I mean, seriously, seventeen chapters? I never would have thought I'd write something this long when I first got my account. And look at that word count. Like, seriously? Whoa!

Okay, Okay, I'm done jawing. :)

Disclaimer: We don't own any Vocaloidses, do we, precious?

* * *

><p><strong>Another Wave of Tension<strong>

_Graffiti decorations_  
><em>Under a sky of dust<em>  
><em>A constant wave of tension<em>  
><em>On top of broken trust<em>  
><em>The lessons that you taught me<em>  
><em>I learn were never true<em>  
><em>Now I find myself in question<em>  
><em>(They point the finger at me again)<em>  
><em>Guilty by association<em>  
><em>(You point the finger at me again)<em>

_I wanna run away_  
><em>Never say goodbye<em>  
><em>I wanna know the truth<em>  
><em>Instead of wondering why<em>  
><em>I wanna know the answers<em>  
><em>No more lies<em>  
><em>I wanna shut the door<em>  
><em>And open up my mind<em>

_-Runaway, Linkin Park_

The next week passed without much event. Daisuke was able to put the medication into pill form, and Saki had only to take one before she started singing, and she could go for hours. Being able to sing again was like being able to breathe after holding your breath for too long. Now that she knew who Daisuke was, she realized he was in the Yamaha building fairly often, and every time she saw him, she thanked him again for helping her. After about her fifth time of seeing him, he put a stop to her profuse gratitude.

"That is quite enough, my dear," he told her, chuckling.

"But I can't help it—don't you understand how much this means to me?"

He chuckled again. :Yes, I'm starting to, which is why you can stop thanking me. As long as you continue singing, I'll know how grateful you are."

Saki laughed. "Well that's a promise I know I can keep."

And she did. She poured over whatever sheet music she could get her hands on, each one a wonderful gift in her eyes.

Before she knew it, the weekend had arrived and she and Riko were arriving in front of Meiko's door, equipped with overnight bags. Meiko didn't say much when she opened the door, just grabbed them and pulled them in, slamming the door shut behind them.

"We've been waiting for you," she said, throwing an arm around each of their shoulders and drawing them further inside her apartment.

"This is a really nice apartment," Riko said, looking around with appraising eyes. "And why am I not surprised to see that your color theme is red?"

Rin and, to Saki's surprise, Luka, were in the living room. Luka looked away when her eyes met Saki's.

"Okay girls—we have some nails to paint."

* * *

><p>"The one thing about nails is that they take so long to dry," Riko sighed, staring at her now-wet nails. She began waving her hands around wildly.<p>

"Hey, watch it, you'll smack someone in the face!" Saki said, ducking one of the hands flung in her vicinity.

"But they just won't dry quickly!"

"Well just concentrate on talking to us instead, and the time will pass before you know it."

"Fine…" Riko's frown turned into a sly smile. "Then why don't you tell us about you and Kaito?"

"W-what?" The brush Saki was using on Rin's nails slipped, and yellow polish got all over her hands.

"Oh-ho?" Meiko's eyebrows rose. "From that reaction, I'd say there is definitely something to tell."

'Wha—no, it's not—"

"As your best friend, I demand to know!"

"Yeah, come on Saki-nee, tell us."

"Not you too, Rin!"

Rin laughed. "Come on, everybody likes a little romance."

Saki sighed. "Okay, fine. You guys probably won't stop talking about it until I tell you."

"Yep!" Riko chirped.

"Well, the day we came back from the video shooting—when I told Riko and my mom about what I was—he saw how unhappy I was, so he took me to the theme park to cheer me up. He even gave me this necklace with my name on it." She touched the pendant resting on her collarbone.

Meiko leaned in to look at it. "Saki? Not Miku? I would have expected Miku, since it's a music clef."

Saki traced the outline of the silver shape. "He knew…that it was getting hard or me to hear the name. I just didn't feel like _me_ anymore, so I guess he used my name as a way to…affirm who I am."

"Of course!" Meiko smacked her forehead. "Now it makes sense."

"What?"

"The other day, Kaito told all of us to stop calling you Miku and to just call you Saki again." Rin nodded in agreement. "He just didn't tell us why. Now I get it. He's really being mindful of your feelings."

Saki's chest felt pleasantly warm. "Yeah."

"I don't think I've seen you wear it, though."

"Yeah, me neither, and I'm with you all the time," Riko said.

"That's because jewelry is banned at school, and…" Saki paused. "Well, I don't really want Saito to see it."

Rin gave a soft little "Oohh," of understanding, and a frown passed over Meiko's face like a stormy cloud. "I understand."

"Saito?" Riko asked. "Who's that?"

"A big old meanie," Rin said, frowning down at her feet.

"Just hope you never have to meet him," Meiko said. "He's a terrible human being."

"Wow. That bad?"

"Just hope that you never have to meet him."

"If you say so." Riko turned back to Saki. "And after that?" She pressed.

"Well, we just rode a few rides and then he took me home."

"Don't you lie to me!" Riko poked her in the arm. "You're leaving something out!"

Saki flushed. "I—well, he…"

"_Yeeeeeees?_"

Saki looked down at the nail polish bottle she was holding, picking at a bit of the polish that was drying on the side. She mumbled under her breath. The others leaned forward.

"What was that, Saki? Couldn't hear you."

"He told me he loves me," Saki whispered.

"I knew it!" Riko shouted, jumping up. "And it's about time, too."

"Yeah, yeah," Saki muttered.

"Well he definitely told you sooner than I thought he would," Meiko mused.

"Meiko, not you too?!" Saki was aghast.

"Of course. I was the one who was trying to get him to tell you. He was being a big chicken about it. I never expected him to actually tell you, at the rate he was going, even though I was trying my best to make him."

"But—but I never knew!"

"Of course you didn't. You two were too busy _staring into each other's eyes_," Riko said, batting her eyelashes.

"Shut up! We were not!"

"But you were both pretty obvious," Rin said.

"No way! That can't—were we really…?" Saki groaned.

"Hey, don't sweat it." Meiko patted her back. "For what it's worth, you guys make a cute couple."

"Uh…"

Riko's eyes widened. "You _aren't_ a couple?"

"Well, after he said it, I, ah, didn't really…answer."

"But _whhhhyyyy?_" Riko whined. "You like him—I know you do, you told me so!"

"Look, I just got the whole "I'm part computer" thing and the medicine that Daisuke-san made for me figured out. I don't really want to just throw something else on top of it, you know. Now can't you guys just let it go? There must be something else for us to talk about."

Without missing a beat, Meiko's head swiveled around, and she looked at Luka. "That's right, there's one other person who has relationship news, _hmm?_"

Luka looked up and found herself being stared at by four pairs of eyes. Realizing, her face flushed bright red in a matter of seconds.

Meiko elbowed her. "Nice that you're getting along so well with Gakupo, isn't it?

Luka opened and closed her mouth a few times, but nothing came out. Her face remained fluorescently pink.

Saki sighed. "Come on, guys. Maybe she doesn't want to talk about it."

"Oh, fine. We'll leave it be." They looked disappointed, but went baack to their nails easily enough.

Saki watched them, amused despite herself. They reminded her of over-excited puppies, curious about everything and not ashamed of asking questions. As she was looking on, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to look at Luka. The pink-haired girl mumbled something.

"What?" Saki asked, leaning closer to hear.

"I said—" Luka's face tinged pink again. "—thank you."

Saki chuckled. "No problem. I'm sure they didn't mean any harm. They're just really nosy, but they mean well. Or at least, I know Riko's that way."

Luka shook her head. "No, not that. About…Gakupo. Thank you for telling me I should listen to him."

Saki smiled. "I'm just really glad you guys were able to work everything out."

"Why are you being so nice?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

Luka frowned. "I've been completely rude to you. According to what I know of human interaction, my actions should have caused you to dislike me."

"Okay, first of all, that explanation was way too stiff. Second of all, I was kind of annoyed at first. I felt like you weren't giving us the chance to know each other before deciding to shut me out. But then I thought about it ,and I realized that maybe you were just acting that way because you had been fighting with Gakupo and were upset. And now that I know that's what it was, why should I be upset?"

Luka's face was furiously red as she looked into her lap. "You're too nice."

"E-eh?!"

"Lu-ka! Come here! We want to braid your hair."

"What? Why me?"

"It's longer than anyone else's, duh."

"Mine isn't even long enough to braid at all."

"And don't think you're off the hook, Saki!"

"What—me? My hair isn't that long."

"Long enough—come on! Now sit still, or you'll make me pull your hair."

Saki exchanged a glance with Luka, whose hair was being braided by Rin, while Riko worked on Saki's.

For some reason, she couldn't help laughing, and she saw that Luka was smiling as well.

* * *

><p>"How was your sleepover?" Kaito asked.<p>

"It was really fun," Saki said, smiling. "Though Riko, Rin and Meiko got a little crazy."

"Somehow, I'm not very surprised by that."

Saki was on her way to a recording booth, and she had run into Kaito along the way. Now they were strolling down the hall together.

"But you know, the best part of the sleepover was getting to talk to Luka."

"Really? Why the best part?"

"She thanked me for suggesting that she talk to Gakupo and work things out."

"Really? Saki, that's great!"

Saki couldn't help laughing. "Glad I'm not the only one who's really excited about it."

Kaito shrugged. "I could tell you were worried about it. So do you think you'll get along better now?"

"It seems like it."

"That's great—and maybe you guys could record a song together."

"Good idea. I'll have to ask her about it later."

They stopped. They had reached the recording booth that Saki was going to practice in.

"I better get going," Kaito said. "I had a question for Meiko, and I'm still looking for her."

"Okay. See you later."

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Saki left the recording booth, shuffling through the songs in her hand. She had polished a couple, and also decided on one she wanted to take home and work on some more.<p>

She walked down the hall, headed for the elevators, but stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a voice.

"The Vocaloid project has been going well. I'm pleased with how things have turned out."

_Saito._ Saki did an abrupt about face, ready to un in the opposite direction, but his voice stopped her again.

"But the whole Hatsune Miku ordeal is going better than I could have hoped."

Saki looked around and saw the door to the music library a few feet away. She dove for the handle and squeezed inside, turning to close it to just a crack, enough to see the hall. Saito came around the corner she had been headed for only moments ago, walking with someone she didn't know.

"I mean, there was that little blip involving the software affecting the girl's health, but that's been taken care of." Saki frowned at it being called a "little blip," but Saito was still talking. "But I never thought it would be so easy to get her to believe that her software had been stolen."

Apparently, the colleague knew as much about the situation as Saki did, because he looked confused. "You mean it wasn't?"

"No. I didn't want her knowing the truth and trying to get away fro me. We'd lose so much profit. She's actually my little experiment—I was the one who put Vocaloid software in that girl, and then released her into an orphanage to see what would happen. I thought she might just die, so I left her alone for a few years, just in case, so I wouldn't have to deal with clean up. As it turns out, not only did she survive, but she blocked the memory of having the software put in her, so I don't need to worry too much about that."

Saki's entire body felt heavy. She slid down the wall, staring into the darkness where the ceiling would be. She thought of a little girl with big eyes, looking at her and whispering, "_Please help me."_She thought of the cold voice that she could now identify as Saito's.

She was distantly aware that she didn't feel like crying, and was surprised.

"Well what do you know?" She whispered. "He tells lies after all."

Kaito hummed as he walked down the hall. He was on his way to get more music for Meiko. He had been playing around with Rin and Len, and had crashed into Meiko, tearing the music she had been working on. Livid, she had ordered him to go fetch her a new copy.

He opened the door to the library and flicked on the light, and then jumped when he saw Saki sitting on the floor.

"Saki! You surprised me! Geez, be careful." He went to one of the shelves in the back to look for the music he needed. "What are you doing here, anyways? You were just sitting her in the dark."

There was no response. Kaito went back around the shelves, puzzled.

"Saki?"

Her knees were pulled to her chest, her face buried in her arms wrapped around her knees.

_Please…someone. Anyone._

_Just let me disappear._

* * *

><p>Aneko:…:(<p>

Excerpt at the top is from Runaway by Linkin Park, which I don't own.


	18. Dreaming of Something She Can't Reach

Aneko: Doing this from a school computer…It's like, the only time I've got right now…Anyways, sorry it's taking me so long to update recently. I'm filling out a whole bunch of paperwork because I'm trying to study abroad next semester. That and normal school stuff is all blargh and etc. Anyways, not trying to unload my life on to you, so have fun reading! :)

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Although, I did recently become the proud owner of the new Hatsune Miku Project Diva game, which has graced North American soil. HURRAY!

**Forever Dreaming of Something She Can't Reach**

_The rollingirl is but a mere shadow of who she once was,_

_unable to reach the colour on the other side_

_The overlapping voices mixing, mixing with each other._

_"There's no problem." the words she muttered were lost._

_How can she possibly turn out fine when_

_The hilly roads entice her and cause her to make mistakes._

_One more time, one more time._

_Please let me roll_

_The girl says, the girl says_

_While silently repeating her meanings!_

-Rollingirl

"Here you go." Kaito set the hot chocolate in front of her. He had brought her to his apartment, and under different circumstances, Saki would have loved to explore to her heart's content. Instead, she pulled her blanket tighter around herself. She was freezing cold, despite the time of year it was.

"Thank you," she said. She looked down into the hot chocolate, but didn't pick it up and drink any.

"So." Kaito sat across from her at the table. "What's wrong, Saki?"

"Oh—" Saki's hands tightened around the drink, her shoulders lifting and dropping in a shrug. "It's nothing big. Just a little worried about our next concert, that's all." It sounded fake even to her own ears.

"_Heeeeeh_? Is that so?" Kaito tilted his head to the side, watching her. They sat in silence. "You know, Saki," Kaito said after a little while. "Lying is bad. It doesn't feel good for the person lying, or the person they're lying to. Remember?"

"What? I'm not lying."

"Really? Then this time, actually look me in the eye when you say it."

Saki flinched. "Fine, I'm _not _fine. But I don't want to talk about it." Her voice came out harsher than she had intended. "Satisfied?"

"No."

"_No_?" Saki threw her hands up in the air. "Well I'm sorry, I can't do anything about that."

"You can tell me what happened."

"I said I don't want to talk about it," Saki snapped.

"You don't want to, but I think you need to."

"What are you, my psychiatrist?" Saki stood up. "I think I'll just go."

"Saki." Kaito grabbed her hand. "I just want to help you."

"That's the thing, Kaito. You _can't._ This isn't something that can be fixed. So let me go, and—"

"No."

"Kaito!" He yanked on her arm, and Saki lost her balance, falling right into his lap. She pushed away from him, but he wouldn't let go. "Kaito, I just want to be alone right now, so let me go!"

"No, not until you tell me what happened."

"What don't you understand about '_I don't want to talk about it'_?"

"The fact that until now, you've been able to rely on me, and now all of a sudden you're not."

"What, and that's a crime now, wanting to handle it myself?"

Saki made another attempt to get away, lurching away from him. He let go for just a moment, but Saki had pulled so hard that she just toppled backwards onto the floor. Before she could even think about getting up again, Kaito was leaning over her, pinning her wrists to the floor. Saki struggled.

"This is harassment!"

"_Saki!_"

"Alright, _fine_!" Saki shouted. "The truth is that my technology wasn't stolen! _Saito_ decided to use me as an experiment. I am working for the man that made me like this!" She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. It wasn't sadness that had tears running down her face.

Kaito had released her wrists, because she was able to cover her face with her hands, her fingers curled so tight her nails nearly cut her palms.

Kaito pulled on one of her arms, until she reluctantly sat up. He wrapped his arms around her. He had no words, so he just kept holding her tightly as angry tears rolled down her face.

"Don't tell the others about this," Saki said later, as she put on her shoes in the entryway.

"Why? I'm sure they care about you and would want to know."

"Exactly. I don't want them worrying about it, because—" She yanked her boot on and stood to look at him. "—I'm fine."

"How is this 'fine'? You may think you are, but they're going to take one look at you and know that you aren't."

"But I will be soon. Don't worry about it, Kaito. I'll figure something out."

And she walked out of his apartment.

Walking through the hallways was uncomfortable. Now that she knew the truth, Saki felt like she was walking around in the house of her enemy. The goose bumps on her arms just wouldn't go away.

She didn't feel like staying in the building, but at the same time, she didn't want to go home. If her mother so much as got a look at Saki's face, she would know something was wrong. After having Kaito force it out of her, she wasn't really in the mood to talk about it again.

So instead, she rode the elevator down, walked through the lobby, and went out the door, walking until she reached the back door to the stage of the concert hall next door. Her footsteps were echoey in the darkness. She didn't feel like turning on the lights, so she felt her way to the stage edge and sat there, letting the quiet surround her and soothe her thoughts.

She didn't know how long she sat there in the dark, but she was still sitting there when the stage light came on behind her. She heard footsteps.

The lights for the audience area had not been turned on, so Saki slid off the stage and went to one of the seats, where she wouldn't be visible. As she sat down, Luka came out from backstage. The pink-haired girl stopped at the middle of the stage and started to sing, gaining volume as she went.

_The radius of 85 centimeters  
><em>_Is the furthest distance I can reach  
><em>_From this day on I think I will try now to spin around  
><em>_So this means we'll have to part ways_

_Well I was spinning aimlessly, a round and round and round, I didn't care what else was going on  
><em>_Spinning was the only thing that I knew how to do, so when I had to stop I had forgotten how  
><em>_But all my friends are reaching farther out, they're way better at spinning than I ever could become  
><em>_I hung my head, and mumbled with a sigh, "I couldn't spin as good as any of them even if I had tried"_

_The radius of two-fifty centimeters  
><em>_Is the furthest distance I can reach  
><em>_From this day on I think I will try now to move around  
><em>_So this means we'll have to part ways_

_Well I was spinning aimlessly, a round and round and round, I didn't see what else was going on  
><em>_I thought that if I spun enough I'd stumble on, somehow, a way to glide through life without a path to walk  
><em>_But all my friends are reaching farther out, they're way better at spinning than I ever could become  
><em>_I hung my head, and sighed a heavy sigh, but all I got was a sore neck and looked like I was about to cry_

_The radius of fifty-two-hundred centimeters  
><em>_Is the furthest distance I can reach  
><em>_From this day on I think I will try now to fly away  
><em>_So this means we'll have to part ways_

_Oh, what would she say? Oh, the me from the past say about what I've done with the me of today  
><em>_But I'm getting dizzy and I think I'm losing control  
><em>_I tilt my head at twenty-three point four degrees and I looked below me at the skyline  
><em>_Before I could blink, it became every shade of the color wheel, it was like I'd never been alive_

_The radius of sixty-three hundred kilometers  
><em>_is the furthest distance I can reach  
><em>_From this day on, I feel like I can do anything  
><em>_So this means we'll have to part ways_

_The radius of 85 centimeters  
><em>_Is the furthest distance I can reach  
><em>_When that day comes, when I get so tired of spinning 'round  
><em>_Could you please be with me, always?_

Saki had had every intention of just waiting in silence until Luka was done practicing and had left, but she couldn't. As soon as she was sure Luka was done singing, she started clapping. Luka started at the sound, having thought the hall was empty.

"Who's there?"

"It's just me," Saki said, approaching the stage. "I wasn't going to say anything…but I really liked the song."

"Oh. Thanks."

"Why are you in here, anyways?"

"I prefer stages to the practice rooms, unless I have to be in one for a recording."

"How come?"

Luka gestured to the empty space around them. "As performers, this is where we spend most of our time. Why should I practice in a small room, when that is meant mostly to prepare for this? I believe that practicing here makes more sense."

"I see."

Luka looked down at Saki. "What were you doing here, alone in the dark?"

Saki turned away, sitting on the floor, her back leaning against the stage. "Nothing, really."

Luka jumped off of the stage to sit beside her. She looked over at Saki. "Are you alright?"

Saki gave an unamused laugh. "Even you can tell, Luka? I must have a terrible poker face."

"What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay. Do you want to be left alone?"

Saki opened her mouth, and then closed it again. She was taken aback by the question, so different from Kaito's earlier. She brought her knees to her chest, shaking her head. "No," she whispered. "I don't."

"Okay."

Saki reached over and pulled Luka's sleeve a little. "Thank you."

* * *

><p>Saki lay in bed, looking up at her ceiling. Her clock read 1:30 AM, but she had given up on sleep a long time ago. Her mind was relentlessly remembering Saito's words, shouting them back at her in the quiet of the night.<p>

She covered her face with a hand, trying not to think about it, as futile as it was.

"I hate this," she whispered. "I hate it, I hate it…."  
>'She threw the covers off, getting up to go sit at her window. Outside it was still, the streets empty. She closed her eyes and thought of a few months ago, when she had been a normal teenage girl with normal, if any, problems.<p>

She leaned her head against the wall.

"This is wrong." The night air swallowed her words and left her with nothing.

* * *

><p>Saki stood in front of the mirror, looking into her own eyes.<p>

_Normal,_ she thought. _Be normal. Whatever that is…_

She took her time walking down the stairs. She could hear her mother moving about the kitchen.

"Good morning," she said, once she managed to get down the stairs.

"Oh, Saki," Mrs. Fujita walked up to her. Her eyes were worried as she looked lver her daughter. "How are you feeling today?"

Saki had managed to convince her that she had merely been feeling unwell, rather than tell the truth that boiled under the surface.

"Are they pushing you too hard?" Mrs. Fujita put a hand on Saki's forehead. "I know Doctor Yamaha gave you that medicine, but still…"

Saki wanted to laugh at the question, but she knew that it would be a twisted sound, so she didn't. Her mother would know immediately.

She stretched her mouth into what she thought was a smile. "I'm fine."

She waited until she had left the house to take out her phone and dial the number. It only rang a few times before he picked up.

"Hello?" He sounded cheerful enough." She assumed Kaito hadn't told him the news.

"Daisuke-san, this is Saki."

"Ah, Saki-san! It's good to heard from you." He chuckled. "You aren't going to try to thank me again, are you? I did mean it when I said that you had thanked me enough."

Saki couldn't help flinching. "Yes, I know. It's just…do you have some time? There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Of course. I was going to head over to the Yamaha building soon—"

"Not there. Please, just—anywhere but there."

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, Saki sat on a park bench, Daisuke in his wheelchair beside her. Around them, children were chasing each other around in the play areas, while mothers watched from a proper distance. Several people were walking their dogs. A flock of pidgeons had settled some feet away, eying Saki and Daisuke so that if there should be any food, they could get to it.<p>

They appeared to those nearby like a girl who was on a pleasant outing with her grandfather, but Saki's face was neutral, while Daisuke looked grieved.

"No," he said eventually. "I didn'tk now. I'm so sorry, Saki-san."

"Yeah, me too." Saki said, watching a little girl tumble after a ball that was rolling away from her.

"I feel that this is my fault."

She looked back at Daisuke. His head was bowed. "How could that be? You didn't know."

"Yes, but Saito is my son. I feel that this could have all been avoided if I had done something different in raising him."

Saki shook her head. "You shouldn't talk like that, Daisuke-san. Trust me, I've already thought things like that many times since all of this started. You know what I realized? That if Saito hadn't done this to me, I might not have met my parents. And if that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have become friends with Riko. And if Saito hadn't done this, I wouldn't have discovered the singing that I _love_, and the people who I met because of it." Saki swallowed, squeezing her hands together. "My promise to you still stands. I'll keep singing—because I _am_ grateful—it'll just be a little different now, that's all."

Daisuke looked at her. "You may be the bravest person I know, Saki-san."

Saki shook her head. "Really? I wouldn't think it's that brave."

"There is more than one kind of bravery. Trust me—this is one of them. If there is anything I can do to help, let me know, and I will do it."

"Well," Saki said. "There actually are a few things. First, I need an address."

* * *

><p>Saki leaned against the brick wall, looking p into the sky as she waited. She consulted her watch. It would hopefully be any minute now. She took a deep breath in through her mouth, and let it go in a sigh. The train ride had passed faster than she expected. She almost missed the solitude and watching the scenery blur by<p>

She glanced again at the door of the building she waited beside as it was opened. A small group of students drifted out into the sunlight. It wasn't hard for Saki to pick out who she was searching for. People gave the two of them a wide berth.

"Excuse me," Saki said, walking up to them. "Do you have a minute?"

The woman, who had wavy blonde hair, looked away from her companion, a tall, quiet man.'':Oh, hello. Can I help you?" She was polite, but from the tilt of her head, quizzical.

"Yes. I was hoping I could talk to you for a little while, if you've got time."

* * *

><p>Aneko: The excerpt is from Rollingirl, and the full song is Double Lariat, both of which I don't own. The Excerpt from Rollingirl comes from Animelyrics . com, and the full lyrics come from the livejournal of balnl (I think that's the way its spelled).<p>

And I am aware that Echoey is not a word. I'm using it anyways. Long live the wrong use of the English language for writerly purposes. :)


	19. Chapter 19

Aneko: OH MY GOSH IT HAS BEEN SO LONG SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE! I took a very unexpected, very long hiatus, guys, and I'm really sorry. Here's how things have been going done lately: I'm in college, you know? Well, I've been working on applying to study abroad in Japan. Well, I've been up to my neck in paperwork for months, and I'm not done, but I AM happy to tell everyone (If you care…) that I will be going to Japan in the spring. Yay! All that being said, I plan to keep writing fictions, but if I take any more unexpected hiatuses, it's because I'm trying to get everything in order. Capisce? Okay, now that that's all better, let's get on with it. :)

Disclaimer: Vocaloid was not created by me, and is not owned by me.

* * *

><p>Chapter Nineteen<p>

Her routine became something of a lifeline. It was easy to keep herself going if she kept her gaze focused on work and school and didn't think about it too much. And, after a little practice, it wasn't so bad. She avoided the Yamaha building as much as she could, and it helped make everything easier, at least a little. More often than not, she ended up at the stage, watching Luka or being coerced to into getting up to sing something herself.

"Has it been getting easier?" Luka asked one day as they sat on the edge of the stage. She still hadn't asked what "it" was, and Saki found peace in that.

She nodded, still trying to catch her breath from the song she had just finished singing. "Or I'm at least getting used to it. Which isn't the same thing, but I'll take what I can get right now. Oh, by the way, I was hoping you could help me with something."

"What?"

Saki played with the cap of her water bottle, screwing it on, and then unscrewing it again. "Well, I was thinking of writing a song, but I don't think I'd be able to write the music, since I can't play piano or anything. If I write the lyrics, would you be able to help me?"

Luka nodded. "Sure. What kind of song were you thinking of?"

Saki looked up at the ceiling she couldn't see.

"It…a song about trying your hardest to live."

Luka looked up too. "I like that."

"Yeah. Me too."

* * *

><p>"Gosh, Saki, are you okay?" Riko asked, looking over her lunch as Saki coughed, her shoulders wracking.<p>

She stopped eventually, clearing her throat. "I'm fine."

Riko frowned. "Are you sure? You've been coughing since yesterday. And you look pretty tired."

"Yeah, I think I may be coming down with a cold," Saki said, blowing her nose into her handkerchief.

Riko wrinkled her nose. "That stinks…don't get me sick, please."

Saki rolled her eyes, but she smiled. "Thanks for your concern."

"Seriously, though, be careful, okay? I don't want you to start fainting again, okay?"

"Riko, that's what Daisuke-san gave me medicine for, remember?"

"You _have_ been taking them, right?"

"Yes! Riko, would you relax? I'm taking care of myself, I promise."

"Really?" Riko squinted at her.

"Look, okay?" Saki pulled out her bottle of capsules. Daisuke had provided her with, which she now carried around everywhere. She shook the bottle, and the pills rattled in the empty space from the pills that were no longer there. "Now quit worrying, would you?"

"I can't help it! Especially after everything that's been happening recently."

Saki covered her mouth as another coughing fit came on.

"There! See?" Riko cried, putting a hand on Saki's back and rubbing it gently.

"I'm _fine_," Saki said. "I promise, okay?"

* * *

><p>As she did every time she walked into the Yamaha building, Saki closed her eyes and took a deep breath, striving to empty her mind. She never went in at all if she could help it, but she had to retrieve some sheet music from the library, so it was unavoidable.<p>

She had just walked in the front door when she heard: "_Saki!_" and a red blur barreled into her, the impact leaving her winded.

Saki shook her head to clear it. "Oh, hey, Meiko."

Meiko frowned down at the shorter girl. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Because I haven't seen you in forever! It's like you disappeared off the fact of the planet!"

"I've just been busy, that's all."

It wasn't untrue, at least. Despite her avoidance of the Yamaha building, Saki had been working possibly even harder than ever.

"So busy that I never see you _at all_?"

Saki raised an eyebrow. "It sounds almost like you've been doing nothing but look for me."

"No, but there is someone who has."

"Really?"

"Kaito."

Saki focused on counting the seconds between her breaths, and her expression remained neutral. "Oh, right, it has been a while since I've seen him."

Meiko stared into her eyes, like she could see what Saki wasn't saying.

"Well." Saki shrugged. "He'll probably see me eventually, but I've got to go. I'm—"

"Busy, I know." Meiko sighed. "Just don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

Saki smiled back at her as she headed for the elevators. "I'm not, don't worry."

As soon as the elevator doors closed and she lost sight of Meiko, the smile fell away, and Saki leaned against the wall, struggling o keep her breathing even. After a moment she composed herself and reached over to hit the button for her floor. As she felt gravity shift below her with the elevator's rising, she looked around until she found the small black dome embedded in the ceiling. She smiled up at the little camera.

For the first time, she thought, _I hope he's watching._

* * *

><p>When she exited the elevator, she walked as quickly as she could without looking suspicious until she reached the music library. Once there, she canned the shelves for the song she needed, grabbed it, and was out as quickly as she had arrived.<p>

The difference today was that as she rounded the corner, she ran straight into Kaito.

His blue, blue eyes took in the sight of her, and he grabbed her by the elbows. "Saki!"

The sound of her name in his mouth brought her back to her senses. Tensing, she threw her weight backwards. Kaito, who had been unprepared for the resistance, lost his hold on her, and Saki took off down the hallway.

"Saki, _wait!_ I want to talk to you!"

She heard him running after her. Skidding to a stop before one of the doors on the hall, she jumped inside and locked it just as she heard Kaito grab the handle, rattling it hard.

"Saki!" He sounded more angry than concerned. It also sound like he was throwing all his weight against the door. "Saki, we need to talk!"

It grew quiet as he finally stopped trying to break the door down.

"Saki." His voice was so quiet she almost couldn't hear it. "Saki, say something. Please."

But Saki had a hand clamped tightly over her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Saki…"

"Just go, Kaito," Saki whispered.

"No. Not until you come out and talk to me."

"I _can't_."

The door vibrated as he slammed his fists into it. "_Why not?!"_

Saki slid to the ground, her back against the door. She leaned over her knees, her hands planted at her temples to try and still the aching in her head.

"I just can't."

"You can't stay in there forever!"

"Well you can't wait forever."

"Saki, is this what you're going to do every time you see me? Run and hide?"

"If that's what it takes."

"Saki!"

Saki rested her head on her knees, wrapping her arms around them. She bit her lips as hard as she could to keep the sobs from escaping her mouth.

* * *

><p>Saki blinked in the darkness, her eyes bleary. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but weariness had overwhelmed her as she waited for Kaito to leave. She fished her cell phone out of her pocket. A couple of hours had passed, and it was nearly time to go home.<p>

It was quiet outside the door. Saki put her ear to it, straining for any kind of sound at all. She stayed there for a good five minutes, but there wasn't even a hint of sound.

She unlocked and cracked the door open. No one pried it from her hands and forced it open. Saki let herself out into the hall as quietly as possible. She looked around, but the hall was empty. Letting go of her held breath, she set off down the hall, her steps slow as she kept her head turning in all directions, watching for the head of blue hair she didn't want to see.

She started to breath a little easier once she reached the elevator, but she shot one more look over her shoulder, in case he jumped out of nowhere.

Which, as she turned back to the elevator to step inside, she didn't have to worry about.

Because he was already waiting for her when the doors opened.

Saki jumped back, more out of shock than anything else. Kaito was ready this time. Before she could think about going anywhere, he grabbed her wrist. Saki didn't try to struggle. She knew he was too strong for her.

"Saki. We _have_ to talk." His voice was firm. No room for arguing.

Saki bit her lip. "Not here."

* * *

><p>Despite the fact that they had to pass through the lobby and onto the streets, Kaito didn't let go of her hand—probably to keep her from escaping—and Saki couldn't help but feel somewhat happy about it.<p>

The only place nearby they could go and be alone was a small local park. When they stopped walking, Kaito turned and looked at her, and released her hand. For a brief moment, Saki considered running, getting lost in the crowds on the streets and not looking back, but the look Kaito gave her rooted her feet to the ground.

"Look," he said. "I know I made you angry the other day and I'm sorry."

Saki looked up into the sky, where the blue was turning to deep purple. She shook her head, blinking rapidly. "Is that all?"

"I didn't mean to upset you, it's just that I was worried."

Saki looked towards the entrance of the park. "Okay, now can I go?"

"Saki." He caught her hand, like he was losing her, though she hadn't take a step. "Are you okay?"

The question was almost absurd , seeing as he had practically bullied her into admitting she _wasn't_ last time they had talked.

"I-I'm fine, now can I go?"

"Saki, why won't you look me in the eye?"

"What? I'm not…"

"Are you embarrassed?"

"No, it's not that, I just—"

"Are you angry with me?"

"No, but—"

"Are you—"

"I just didn't want to start crying!" It was only after the words were out in the air that she realized she had said them. She didn't know what kind of expression he had on—she wasn't looking and she didn't want to.

"What? Did I make you—"

"No! No," Saki interrupted, tired of his misinterpretations. Her voice was already getting shaky. "I'm doing my best to keep acting normally, but when I see you—" She took a deep breath. "When I see you, I just…_can't_." She bit her tongue and looked up at the sky, trying not to let the water trickle down her cheeks. "I'm forgetting what normal is. What am I supposed to be? _Who_ am I supposed to be? No one can tell me because no one knows. It's lonely, and I don't like it, but if I don't keep trying, I'll fall down and I won't et back up again. Everywhere I turn, there's nothing but dark, even though I have no choice but to keep going. When I look at _you,_" she finally met his eyes. They pierced her, like everything had been stripped away and he could see all the way down to her soul. It made her want to shrink back inside herself, inside a shell that Kaito nor anyone else could see through. "All I want to do is stop…and just rest.

"Then do it," Kaito said. "Let me be the place where you rest."

"I already told you, I can't. If I stop, I'll never get up again."

"That's not true."

"Saki frowned. "What do you mean it's not true? I think I would know—"

Kaito opened his arms and wrapped them around her. "Everyone knows that the sun rises after night is over. No matter how long it seems, night has its time, and day does too. When the night is over, day comes. You're just in the night right now. It might not feel like it'll ever change, but day will come. I promise. I know you, and I know that while it doesn't seem okay right now, someday it will be."

Saki strove not to let the words break through, but no matter what her brain said, her heart was already starting to loosen. As she leaned into him, she realized that her whole body achd.

"It's okay, Saki. You're done your best," he said over top of her head.

It wasn't until after he said it that she realized that she had been longing to hear someone say that. She didn't have any more strength to keep herself from crying, so she clutched his jacket as the stress, shock, sadness, pain and anger from the past week pushed itself down her cheeks in small paths of water.

"It'll be alright," Kaito whispered.

Saki shook her head. "How do you know?"

"It will. I can see it, because I am not surrounded with this the way you are. It will be okay."

He kept whispering it to her, like a mantra, like a prayer.

* * *

><p>Aneko: I am working on the next chapter—I am. It might take a while, but I will put it up as soon as I can.<p> 


	20. Chapter 20

Aneko: So, how were holidays? Good times all around? I hope so. Well, I know that it's been quite a while since I last updated. I'm encountering that mythical thing that many people come across called adulthood, in which one has barely enough time to do everything one needs. But I digress. I'm in Japan now. Yay! Just doing the last of the paperwork before classes start. Fingers crossed I didn't just fail my placement test, though, you guys. Like for reals. It was scary. :(

Also, first update on the kewl new computating device, aka laptop. :)

Disclaimer: The creation of the Vocaloid is not mine. I merely, like many others, use the idea of it as a creative outlet.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20<strong>

"I cannot _wait_ to meet everyone tonight!" Mrs. Fujita greeted Saki as she walked down the stairs.  
>Saki laughed, marveling at how easily the action came to her. Her skin still felt warm from where Kaito had held her the night before, and it filled her up inside. It was amazing wht the small respite had done. Being comfortable talking to Kaito again had taken away so much stress that she thought she might just float away from the ground and join the clouds.<p>

"It's hard to believe it's already time for your videos to show," Mrs. Fujita said as she looked out the window. "It feels like you just started doing this yesterday. Life sure has a way of passing you by."

Saki nodded, but in truth, she couldn't disagree more. It felt like a lifetime since Vocaloid had been nothing but a foreign name in one of Riko's magazines, and the only thing that really worried her were grades.

As she thought about everything that had happened since, it felt like years had passed. They settled around her shoulders as she pulled her chair out at the table. Saki paused, feeling so suddenly weighed down she didn't know what to do.

"What's the matter, Saki?"

Saki looked up at her mother. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking." She managed to pull the chair out the rest of the way and let herself fall into the seat.

"So what are their names again?"

"Well you already know Kaito, and then there's Meiko, the twins Len and Rin, Luka and Gakupo," Saki said, ticking them off on her fingers.

"Riko-chan is coming too, right?"

"Like she'd pass up a chance to be in the same room with her current obsession…Don't tell her I said that."

"My lips are sealed. But I'm sure one of the reasons she _is_ has to do with the fact that her best friend is a part of it."

"She was obsessed before I came along."

"And as long as you're there, she will continue to be."

Saki shrugged, but the words warmed her all the way through.

"And you said they'll be driving over, right?"

"I think so."

Mrs. Fujita clapped her hands. "Oh, I'm so excited to meet your friends!"

* * *

><p>The feeling was mutual from all the members of Vocaloid. By the time Saki had lunch with Riko, she had gotten texts from each Vocaloid expressing their excitement. From Meiko, she got "Can't wait to tour Saki-chan's house tonight! ;D" and from the twins, "We can' wait to see Saki-nee-chan tonight! It's going to be so much fun! :)". Even Gakupo sent her a polite message, saying "I look forward to greeting your family," to which Saki found she was unable to keep from responding in just as formal a tone, saying, "I look forward to it."<p>

"Are you excited?" Riko asked, looking over Saki's shoulder at the messages. "You seem a little…_subdued_."

"What? I do?" Saki asked.

"Well, just kind of quiet, I mean. I thought you'd be ecstatic."

Saki smiled. "I am excited. I'm just tired, that's all."Riko shot her a suspicious look, and Saki rolled her eyes. "I'm _fine_. We've just been working hard lately. We've got another concert coming up, so we've been busy preparing for it—_anyone_ would be tired after the work we've been doing."

"But you aren't _anyone_," Riko said pointedly.

"Look, I know I'm different because of my…illness, or whatever you want to call it, but you need to stop babying me Riko." Saki took a sip of her strawberry milk.

"I can't help it! I just get worried."

"It's not like I'll always need it. I am a big girl, you know."

Riko sighed. "I knooooow. You keep telling me."

"Then you should start believing me."

"Well at least you cough went away."

"Yeah, really. _That_ made singing difficult."

"I bet."

They were interrupted when Saki's phone rang. Riko leaned over to look, smirking at the caller i.d. "Ooooh, it's your _boyfriend._"

"Shut up, Riko!" Saki said, flushing scarlet. It was too late, but she covered the name with her hand anyways. She stood up and headed for the classroom door. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Oh no, take your time," Riko sang after her.

Saki shut the door behind her and walked over to one of the windows where no one was standing, finally answering the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey-can you talk right now?" He asked.

"Sure. We're eating lunch right now." Saki opened the window in front of her, leaning on the window sill and letting the fresh air wash over her. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. I was just calling to see how you're doing."

Saki smiled, closing her eyes. "I'm doing great." For the first time in a while, the words felt true. It was a nice feeling.''

"I'm glad. I'm looking forward to tonight."

"Me too."

She could hear the smile in his voice. "Well, I have to go now, but I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you."

Saki hung up and hoped school would pass quickly.

* * *

><p>It didn't pass quickly enough, but eventually the last bell rang and she was finally free. She waved goodbye to Riko, then dashed home, arriving wheezing for breath. Rs. Fujita laughed upon seeing her daughter.<p>

"Why did you rush home like that, dear? They won't be here for another couple of hours yet."

"I couldn't help it," Saki said when she finally caught her breath. "I'm excited."

"Well go ahead and change out of your uniform and then you can help me clean the house before they get here."

"Okay!"

"I wish you would always help clean so willingly!" Mrs. Fujita yelled after Saki as she bounded up the stairs.

By the time the doorbell rang the first time, the house had been scoured from top to bottom and food had been prepared. Although Saki's mother was still adjusting to the fact that none of her daughter's coworkers were human, when Saki told her they had the ability to eat, she unquestioningly made enough food for everyone.

Kaito, Meiko and the twins arrived first, but Luka and Gakupo weren't far behind in a second car. They were still taking their shoes off in the entryway when Riko arrived. Within the chaos and chatter, Saki introduced the Vocaloids Mrs. Fujita had never met before.

"My, I hope I can remember everyone's names properly," She said as she looked from face to face

"If you get ours mixed up," Rin said.

"We forgive you" Len said.

Mrs. Fujita patted them both on the head. "You guys are good kids, huh?"

They looked leased with the compliment.

"And as always, it's nice to see you, Kaito-kun," Mrs. Fujita said to the blue-haired singer.

Kaito bowed slightly. "The same to you, Fujita-san."

"Well, come on in, everyone, and please make yourselves at home."

And with that, everyone filled inside. There was still a while before the videos would be on, giving everyone plenty of time to visit and chat beforehand.

"You know, ever since Saki joined Vocaloid, I've been wanting to hear everyone sing together," Mrs. Fujita said as she brought out drinks. "Would you all humor me? I'd love to hear what you sound like when you're all together."

"Of course, Meiko said.

"Leave it to us," the twins added.

"We could sing _Continuing Dream_," Saki suggested. "Since it's already one of our group songs."

"Oh, I love that one."

"So do we!"

"I also believe that is a good choice."

"Well let's stop talking about it and start _singing_ it already, then."  
><em><br>I am right here  
><em>_Even when you grow old  
><em>_The dream continues, today and tomorrow,  
><em>_I will keep singing  
><em>_So that this precious light that shines once  
><em>_May never go out, I'll always watch over it._

_At first everyone said  
><em>_That it was impossible for me to sing  
><em>_No matter how I try to appeal to them  
><em>_I cannot reach their hearts with this hand.  
><em>_But you were different—  
><em>_You gave me your affection  
><em>_And believed someone like me.  
><em>_Our feelings became one  
><em>_And kept warm inside my heart  
><em>_And so a miracle happened._

_I am here  
><em>_Within the passing times  
><em>_You gave me an important thing as I continue to sing.  
><em>_Until the day when they sprout, grow up and bloom,  
><em>_I'll always pray and watch over them.  
><em>

_So that the missing pieces could connect  
><em>_I'll sing precious, precious songs.  
><em>_I may not do it in a human way  
><em>_But I came forward with my words._

_As many more people listened  
><em>_And as it reached their hearts  
><em>_They shed tears with my songs.  
><em>_You brought your feelings.  
><em>_I brought my appreciation,  
><em>_I can release it to the sky._

_I am right here  
><em>_Even when you grow old,  
><em>_The dream continues, today and tomorrow,  
><em>_I will keep singing  
><em>_So that this precious light that shines once  
><em>_May never go out, I'll always watch over it._

_We are not alone.  
><em>_Gonna sing a song  
><em>_We are not alone.  
><em>_Can't stop, make it better._

_I am right here  
><em>_Even when you grow old,  
><em>_The dream continues, today and tomorrow,  
><em>_I will keep singing  
><em>_So that this precious light that shines once  
><em>_May never go out, I'll always watch over it._

_I am here  
><em>_Within the passing times  
><em>_You gave me an important thing as I continue to sing.  
><em>_Until the day when they sprout, grow up and bloom,  
><em>_I'll always pray and watch over them.  
><em>

_We are not alone_

_Going to sing a song…_

"Oh that was _wonderful_," Mrs. Fujita said, clapping her hands as they finished. "You all sound so balanced and perfect."

"And happy, too," Riko said. "It makes me feel inspired to be a singer myself."

"Perhaps you should try your hand at it, Riko-dono? You might have the potential to become a star yourself."

"Yeah, Riko, you should try it. Maybe you'll become a famous idol."

"Have you _heard_ me sing? No one on earth would pay to hear that."

Meiko ruffled her hair. "Oh, come on, it can't be _that_ bad."

"Yeah, well have you ever heard me?"

"No. Are you volunteering?"

"Definitely not."

Kaito turned to Saki as the others continued to squabble playfully.

He smiled. "Hi."

"Hi," she said back.

"Still doing okay?"

Saki nodded. "Yeah. You?"

Kaito smiled. "As long as you are, then so am I."

Saki laughed. "Well that's good." She hoped her blush wasn't as bad as it felt.

"I can't wait to see how the videos turned out."

Saki rested her head on her hand, pursing her lips. "Yeah, but it was stingy of them not to let us see them before they aired."

"There was a lot of footage for them to go through. I'm sure they've been working hard on it for a while now."

"That's true."

"And besides, if they'd showed them to us before now, we might not have gotten the chance to do this." Kaito waved a hand around the room.

"Also true. But I still wish we could have seen them earlier."

"You're surprisingly impatient, Saki."

"Yeah, my mom says that too. I think I got it from Riko."

"Hm."

"What? You don't believe me?"

"No—I'm marveling at how much sense it makes."

"Doesn't it, though?...By the way, I hope she isn't listening to us talk about her."

"I really doubt it—she looks busy."

Saki raised one eyebrow. "Is Meiko…_wrestling_ her?"

Meiko had an arm around Riko's neck as the Vocaloid pulled her close.

"Um…what are you two doing? Wait, maybe I don't want to know.."

Meiko looked at Saki. "She won't sing for me!" she whined like an unhappy four year old.

Riko pulled at the arm holding her in place. "I told you I'm not gonna!"

Saki laughed. "I don't think that's going to work, Meiko. And besides, if you keep doing that, you'll miss the videos."

Meiko scowled. "Fine, I'll let you go for now. But I _will_ make you sing something eventually." She let go of her hold on Riko, who stuck her tongue out at the brunette.

"I believe this is a battle of wills, is it not?" Gakupo asked.

"The two most stubborn people I know fighting—this won't end well."

"If it ends at all" Kaito corrected.

"Hey-if it interests anybody, the videos are about to come on," Mrs. Fujita pointed to the TV, which had been on low volume the entire time. Everyone started clamoring as they moved closer to the TV, drawing up chairs and sitting on the floor in a half-circle around it.

The first of the songs was _Cantarella. _Since most of them had already heard the song a million times over, they had no problem talking over it to comment on the video itself.

"Uwah! Saki-nee-chan's mask is so pretty!"

"The _mask_? What about that dress?!"

"I believe that that color is most becoming on you, Saki-dono."

"Oh, th-thanks."

"Aw, you made her blush Gakupo. Oh, but Kaito doesn't look so bad either."

"Wow, Meiko, you sound _oh_ so sincere."

After _Cantarella_ was _Servant of Evil_ by Rin and Len which left most of them quiet and fairly melancholy, but the mood picked back up again as the next video started.

As Saki stared at the screen, she felt her breath shorten while her vision began to warp. She excused herself with a quiet word, but thankfully, no one noticed.

She crept up the stairs, pausing for breath twice. Somehow, he managed to make it to the bathroom, where she sat on the floor. She pulled her knees to her chest, leaning her head against the wall behind her. She closed her eyes and tried to force her breathing to even out. Laughter trickled up to her from downstairs. She concentrated on it, letting it fill her until her dizziness subsided. Still, she remained on the floor for some time after, just to make sure. Eventually, though, she pushed herself to her feet, knowing she needed to go back downstairs an join everyone. Before she did, though, she took the cup from beside the faucet and filled it with water, drinking slowly. She also took out her medicine, which was always in her pocket.

Saki unscrewed the cap and tapped a pill into her palm. She looked at it for a few minutes, just a tiny little capsule sitting there. Sighing, she reached over to the trash can, tipping her hand over.

Just as the medicine left her hand, she heard, "Saki? What are you doing?"

* * *

><p>Aneko: The song lyrics are from the song Continuing Dream, made by the wonderful and talented Dixie Flatline, and the English translation from the Youtuber Alvin Paul Malinis. In the original version, only Miku, Rin, Len and Luka sing it. So for the purposes of this chapter, you just have to pretend that Kaito, Meiko and Gakupo are in on it too. ;)<p> 


	21. Leave Out All the Rest

Aneko: And we are seriously at the end of the wind down for this story, people. Not sure what I'm going to do after this one's complete. I still want to write on the site, but this fiction has taken me so long to complete that I'm actually short on ideas for other things at the moment…anyways, so my placement test for Japanese went well, and I'm right at the level I should be at. Yay, hooray! Anyways, enjoy!

Oh, and here's one more thing, though I don't know if anyone will notice this. As of this chapter, I'm upping the rating to T, because this chapter turned unexpectedly darker than anything before it. I wasn't planning for this chapter the way it went originally at all, which is why I had the rating as K+. One of the reasons this chapter took a while is because I was figuring out what direction to take things. This is what happened.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Vocaloid. The only thing about Vocaloid I own are…the PS3 game and a few songs from iTunes. Oh! And a little Len cell phone charm. He's so adorable~!

Also don't own the song right below this, an excerpt from Linkin Park's "Leave Out All the Rest."

* * *

><p><strong>Leave Out All the Rest<strong>

_I dreamed I was missing  
><em>

_You were so scared  
><em>

_But no one would listen  
><em>

_'Cause no one else cared_

_After my dreaming_

_I woke with this fear  
><em>

_What am I leaving  
><em>

_When I'm done here?_

_-Leave Out All the Rest, Linkin Park_

* * *

><p>Saki brushed her hair behind an ear. "Oh. I just needed to go to the restroom. Sorry I slipped out without—"<p>

"Not that. What did you just throw away?"

Saki shrugged, putting the cap back on the bottle. "Oh, nothing. It was just trash. Nothing important."

His eyes darted to the bottle, the trash can, and back to her face. Saki put the bottle back in her pocket and walked to the door, sliding by Kaito. "Should we head back down to everyone? I'm sure they're waiting for us."

She hasn't really expected it to work, so she wasn't surprised when Kaito grabbed her arm and flipped her back around.

* * *

><p>Mrs. Fujita was chatting with Gakupo when she heard a loud thud from above. She raised her eyebrows, looking up at the ceiling.<p>

"Well that was…odd," Gakupo remarked, looking up as well.

"I'll be right back," Mrs. Fujita said. She walked over to the staircase. She couldn't hear anything else. "Saki? Are you alright?"

There was a moment of silence. Mrs. Fujita was about to walk up the stairs when she heard her daughter's voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Saki called back. "I dropped something, and Kaito's helping me pick it up. We're almost done. We'll be done in a minute."

Saki waited.

"Well, okay. Hurry, though, or you two are going to miss the end of the videos."

"Okay!" Saki looked up at Kaito. "We're being expected downstairs, so…" she lifted her head to indicate their position on the floor, Kaito looming over her as she laid there placidly. "…you should probably let me get up now." She kept her voice to a murmur, aware that she could still hear everyone talking below them.

"How long?" Kaito asked. His voice was harsh, but he also strained to keep it quiet. Just like that day in his apartment, he leaned over her his hand gripping her wrists. Unlike last time, though, Saki wasn't struggling to fight back.

"You know, Kaito, if this is going to happen every time we talk about important things, I can't ever see us talking like normal people."

"_How long_, _Saki?"_

Saki searched his face. She could see sadness in his blue, blue eyes, hear it roiling in his voice. But her breathing stayed even and her eyes were dry. "Since I found out the truth—_the_ truth—of everything."

"Why—_why?!_ Saki, this isn't fair!"

His hands tightened on her wrists, but Saki was almost certain he didn't realize it. She released a breath and smiled up at him. "It never was. And that's why I have to do this."

"Don't give me that _crap_! Saki, how could you do this? Are you giving up?"

His teeth were gritted so hard Saki could see the muscle in his jaw jumping with the effort.

Saki worked her wrist free of Kaito's hand, then brought it up to his face and rested it on his cheek.

"Do you remember, Kaito? That day after we saw Daisuke-san, do you remember what you said to me? You said 'It's frustrating not being able to control your own life.' Do you understand?"

"No I don't! Maybe Saito did those things and lied to you, but _you_ control you, no one else does. There was no reason to do this!"

Saki freed her other hand and brought it to his face as well. "Kaito," she whispered. "Kaito, I'm sorry."

"If you're sorry, then you'll stop."

Saki lifted her head up so that she could rest her forehead against his. "It's already too late."

"No, it can't be…_it can't_." Kaito leaned forward. His head hit the ground by her shoulder.

Saki closed her eyes, resting a hand on his arm. She wished there was something she could say something to him, some way to make it better, but there wasn't.

"This isn't fair."

Saki smiled unhappily. "It never was," she repeated.

"And just what do you expect me to do about this?! You can't seriously think that I won't try and stop you."

Saki shook her head and grabbed his arm tighter. "There's nothing you can do. I'm already…too damaged to be fixed."

"Stop, don't talk like that! You aren't "damaged!" Why do you even think you have to do this?"

Saki breathed in another careful breath and released it. "Because I want to make this right."

From downstairs, they both heard Meiko's impatient voice. "Oi! Saki-chan! Kaito! Aren't you two done yet?"

Saki looked into his eyes. "We'd better go down, or they're going to come looking for us."

Without a word, he stood, offering a hand to help her up. Saki couldn't read the expression on his face. They went down quietly, and when they arrived back in the living room, Saki laughed and apologized.

"The lamp in my room fell over and knocked things off my desk. Kaito was helping me pick them up," she said, smiling.

Kaito said nothing, staring at the wall.

Everyone settled back down to keep watching, and Saki happily joined them, immersing herself in the videos and the discussions everyone had about them. But whenever she happened to look up, she found Kaito looking at her with that same expression. Each time, she shifted her eyes away and went back to speaking to the person beside her.

As the evening began to wind down, Gakupo stood up. "I believe that it would be best for us to return soon."

"Whaaaaat? We don't wanna go!" The twins said.

"Hush." Meiko put a hand on both of their heads. "We've been here for the entire evening. Saki and her mother need their rest. You'll see Saki tomorrow."

"Okaaaaaaaay."

Luk gave a slight bow. "Thank you for letting us visit your home."

"Ara, what polite young ones you all are," Mrs. Fujita said, smiling. She looked down at Rin and Len. "We'll just have to do this again sometime, won't we?"

The blonde-headed twins perked up immediately. "Yeah! We should!"

"Then, we will just see ourselves out."

"Oh but that won't do. Let me see you out the gate."

Everyone began heading for the hall. Saki made to follow after them, but Kaito grabbed her arm.

"Saki. We aren't done talking about this."

Saki looked away for a moment, then met his eyes again. "Tomorrow. I'll meet you at the park around three."

Then she pulled her arm free and walked to the door.

* * *

><p>The next afternoon, she found him waiting for her, his fingers drumming a nervous beat against the bench he sat on. He practically leaped up when he saw her. "Sa—"<p>

"Hey, Kaito, I was thinking karaoke sounded like fun. Should we go?" she interrupted. She turned to start walking, but Kaito grabbed her and flipped her back around, keeping a hold of her shoulders.

"Are you out of your _mind_? You think I'm going to let you sing when you so very obviously haven't been taking your medicine? _Don't joke with me!_"

Saki flinched at the loudness of his voice. She took a deep breath—something she had been doing a lot lately. "Come on, Kaito. Let's go for a walk."

They started walking around the little path. Kaito no doubt had no idea what to say, which was alright, as Saki did have things to say, and didn't really want him to interrupt.

"First, Kaito" he said, looking at her shoes. "You have to promise to let me say everything irst. And then, when I'm done, you can argue with me. Promise."

His nod was jerky. "I…promise."

"Okay…Well, let's see…I stopped taking the medicine a couple of weeks ago. Daisuke-san…was sad. He didn't tell me not to, but I think he _wanted _to. He just knew that I wanted to do this, so he didn't try to stop me. The way I figure it from Daisuke-san's hypothesis, I'll have just enough time."

"To do what?" Kaito snapped.

Saki stopped walking. "To end things. You know, Kaito, there's something I haven't told anyone. Something about the software." Saki grabbed her arms, her shoulders hunching together in the process. "After I found out about the software, I started…having dreams. I had a dream about my memory of when Saito was about to start the operation—watched it happen."

"Well that makes sense. It was a horrific experience. I'd be more worried if you didn't have any nightmares about it."

"No, you don't understand. I _watched_ it. Not as Fujita Saki. I _watched_ Fujita Saki being a terrified orphan who had no name. Don't you think it's weird, Kaito? Having memories of watching myself? Don't you understand what that means?"

Kaito shook his head so fast she was afraid he was going to get whiplash. "Come on, Saki, it's just a dream, right? You were just so scared that you dreamed something like that, okay?"

"What color are my eyes, Kaito?"

"What? Why are you—"

"Look at me. What color are my eyes?" she interrupted, asking again.

"They're dark brown and they always have—" he stopped so fast he nearly bit his tongue. As he had been looking at her, her eyes shimmered aquamarine, then back to brown.

"And my hair," she said. "What color is it?"

"It's brown," Kaito said. But even as he said it, he saw the color, between blue and green. "It's—it's the lighting, I'm sure. It looks different in the shade or in the sun. It's not…"

"Kaito. _Look_ at me. My face, my hair, my eyes…it isn't a coincidence, the fact that Hatsune Miku is the name Saito…"chose" for me, and it isn't a coincidence that the wig and contacts were the colors that they were. Somewhere, I'm sure Daisuke-san has notes that say what Hatsune Miku's planned colors are."

"Saki, stop," Kaito said. His voice was small. "Please stop."

"Saki _who_? Don't you _get_ it yet?" she asked. Her voice began rising, though she wasn't really trying to make it do so. "Do I need to keep going? I have no memory from before I was operated on—not because of trauma, but because "I" didn't have those memories in the first place. I can read music and sing well without any kind of training at all. Vocaloid software or not, a human girl like Fujita Saki would have needed at least a few lesions. The truth is—"

"Stop it…"

"—There was never a girl named Fujita Saki!" She shouted. "Just a poor orphan girl who was used mercilessly, and do you know what happened to her? She died the day that I woke up!" Her hands tightened around her arms as her throat burned. "I took the place of an innocent little girl, but you're going to try to stop me from ending this!" She screwed her eyes shut. "I stole her place, but I am here! _I am right here!_" The screamed words echoed in the emptiness around them.

It wasn't the first time she had thought about it, but saying it aloud made everything feel more real, and she felt light-headed with the thoughts swirling around in her head. She fell to the ground, keeping her eyes shut against the spinning scenery around her. For minutes she just breathed.

She felt hands on the sides of her face, and she opened her eyes to look at Kaito.

The expression on his face could have broken her heart. "Listen," h said. His voice was calmer and gentler than it had ever been before. "Listen to me. Not Fujita Saki. Not Hatsune Miku. Not by parents who love you for who you are to them. _You_ are a girl who has a friend who worries about you because you are a good friend to her. _You_ are a girl who sings because you love it. Forget the names. _You_ are right here. _You_ didn't steal anyone's place—don't _ever_ think that."

She clung to the words, gripping his hands, even just to make sure they were there.

He leaned his forehead against hers. "This was not your fault," he breathed. "But…"

He didn't keep going. She looked up at him. His next words seemed to be dragged out with a hook his face becoming more and more anguished. "But if you…really don't think…you should have this body, I won't…stop you. I won't argue. You do what you have to."

He looked like he was going to be ill.

"But Saki," he cried. His hands let go of her face, only to wrap around her shoulders, pulling her into him. "Saki!"

The sound of the name jerked at her heart. He sounded like he wanted to continue talking after saying her name, like there was something important he needed to tell her, but he didn't.

She glanced at his face again. He wasn't crying—of course not. He probably couldn't. Why would Saito need to give his tools the ability to show sadness?

But they were in Kaito's voice, in the way he kept saying her name, and in his posture, in the way his arms shook as he held her.

She rested against him, and found that she _was_ crying, and she couldn't tell if she was happy, or very sad.


	22. Hold Me Tight

Aneko: Okay, so originally, I planned to make this and the next chapter one big chapter, but I realized it was just _too freaking long._ Therefore, I'm posting this now, because I was starting to be sad that I haven't uploaded something for you in so long. But the next chapter is probably still going to be pretty long.

Disclaimer: I don't own the concept of Vocaloid.

* * *

><p><strong>Hold Me Tight<strong>

_Hold me tight, tight enough to break me__  
>So that even in an icy wind or a blizzard<em>_  
>I won't feel cold<em>_  
>I miss you- every time I think of you<em>_  
>Tonight, too, I hold<em>_  
>This half-finished muffler, all alone<em>

_If there was an eternally falling snow__  
>Could it hide my feelings for you?<em>

_Hold me tight- if this is how it feels__  
>I didn't want to know<em>_  
>What it was like to be in love with someone<em>_  
>I love you- the feeling wells up in my chest<em>_  
>I want to shout to the wintery sky<em>_  
>"I want to see you right now"<em>

Luka pushed the door of the Yamaha building open, her eyes adjusting to the dimmer lighting after the dazzling sun outside. She had just been practicing on the grand piano in the concert hall, and was finally content with how the music had sounded. Her eyes swept in a cursory glance over the lobby.

"Hey, Luka! Luka over here!" The pink-haired Vocaloid looked around to see Meiko hailing her from across the room. The brunette flashed her a smile when she walked over.

"What is it, Meiko?"

"Hm? Well, you looked like you were looking for someone. Need any help?"

Luka nodded. "Yes, actually. I was looking for Saki. I have something for her." She held up the folder in her hands. "She asked me to help her write music for song lyrics that she was working on. I wanted to show it to her and see if she likes it, but I don't know where she is."

"I see. Well, wherever she is, I'm sure Kaito is there with her. Those two are pretty joined at the hip lately." Meiko crossed her arms, her lips jutting out in a pout. "Seriously, I know they're love birds now and all, but he should let us have some quality time with her too." Luka stayed quiet, and Meiko raised an eyebrow. "What? You don't agree? Well, I guess you wouldn't, since you've got your guy, too…"

"It isn't that."

Meiko's smile died. Luka, who usually turned bright red at even the slightest teasing, was looking at her with a level stare. "What, then?"

Luka shook her head a little. "I'm…not sure. I just..I get this weird feeling lately…that something is wrong with Saki. That she's really distant." Luka looked down, her bangs covering her eyes. "I'm worried."

Meiko sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "I think I know what you mean. Things have been getting a little…darker around here."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure?" Kaito asked for what might have been the fiftieth time.<p>

"Yes," she said, her eyes still scanning the sheet music. "I told you, Daisuke-san and I talked about it. With his estimate, this will be fine."

"But it's an _estimate_," Kaito argued, his eyebrows lowering—one of the only expressions he seemed able to make lately. "It could be wrong."

She shook her head. "I trust Daisuke-san's judgment. If he says it will be alright, then it will be alright. Plan or not, I need to practice. I can't just go up stage with a song I haven't heard or tried before. We should do it in your apartment. I don't want anyone seeing me, in case I faint. Now come on." She tapped the sheet music on his chest so he would take it from her. "I need someone to catch me when I fall."

Kaito took the music from her, his eyes fixed on the floor. "I would prefer the phrase, 'catch you _if_ you fall.' It would be nice if it wasn't a given."

She turned to smile at him. "Wouldn't that be nice?"

* * *

><p>"But!" Meiko said, lifting her index finger in the air like a scolding mother. "That isn't what matters. What we need to do is be there for her when she needs us. That's what friends are for. And, if she doesn't want to talk about it now, we'll just wait until she's ready, and if she falls, we catch her."<p>

She finished the song and took in a shuddering breath, her body swaying, but Kaito was already there, wrapping his arms around her. He gently helped her sit on the ground, still holding on to her. She smiled up at him through hazy vision. "See? I knew you'd catch me."

* * *

><p>He wiped sweat off her forehead. "You're burning up. Do you think you're going to faint again?"<p>

"Don't know. I guess we wait and find out."

They were quiet for a few minutes then, her breathing sporadic as he held her. Eventually, though, the sweat cooled on her skin, and her heartbeat slowed.

"Hey, Kaito."

"What?"

"I want to go somewhere. With everyone, I mean. Because it's probably going to be the last—"

"Don't even finish that sentence," Kaito said. His arms tightened around her. "Just don't."

"Okay. But please, can we?"

"Yeah, we can."

"Can we do it now? Like, right now?"

He smiled, but it was tired. "Yes. Let's do it. I'll tell everyone."

* * *

><p>"Uwaaaaaaah! The theme park!" Lin and Ren's mouths were hanging open.<p>

"Haven't you two ever been before?" She asked, curious at the way they were gawking at everything around them.

They shook their heads. "We're always busy with Vocaloid stuff, so—"

"—we've never been able to come before."

"This will be my first visit as well. I expect it to be most educational." The serious face Gakupo was making seemed less regal than usual since he was standing next to a large bunny mascot who was handing out balloons to small children.

"Well we can't just _stand_ here, let's go!" Meiko said.

"What first, what first?" The twins chorused.

"What about the haunted house?" Meiko deepened her voice and pretended to come after them with her hands reaching like claws.

"E-Eh?! H-haunted house?"

"If you are at all worried about going inside, Luka, I shall protect you."

"Aww, isn't that sweet, Luka?"

"Shut up, Meiko! Gakupo, don't say strange things!"

"Look! She's blushing!"

Kaito turned when he heard her giggle beside him. "What? He asked.

"It's just—everyone will figure out who you all are if we make this much noise. I'm not sure I'd mind though…it would be kind of interesting."

"You wouldn't be able to spend the day with everyone then, though."

She looked at a bit of her hair. "Ah, my hair and eyes haven't completely changed yet, so I guess you're right. But I guess we should catch up now. If we don't we'll probably lose them for the whole day."

She started to head for the haunted house as well, but stopped when she realized that Kaito had not followed her in the direction. "What's wrong? Aren't you coming?"

Kaito was staring at some point near her, or past her. "Is it too much to ask?" He said. His voice was too quiet, barely audible over the crowds around them. "Is it too much to ask for you to smile, or…something?"

She stared at him for a moment, then sighed, walking back over to him as she took out her handkerchief. She held it up to him.

"What is this for?" Kaito asked. "I can't cry, I'm a machine."

She shook her head and held the handkerchief to his cheek. "But you look so sad. Even phantom tears are real tears."

He grabbed her hand and held it there. "Why? Why does it have to be like this? Where's the happy girl who I met all those months ago? Why…?"

She sighed. He had been saying things like this for the past couple of weeks. "You know why," she responded as always.

"But you're sad," he said.

She did her best, lifting the corners of her mouth painfully until it looked like a real smile. "Then help me not be. Please."

Still holding her hand, he started to lead the way after the others, towards the haunted house. He kept his hand there, in the darkness where the machines popped out with fake blood and a soundtrack of spooky music played around them. She watched as the twins messed with the mechanics recklessly, making faces at ghosts and poking at a fake severed arm, while Luka clung to Gakupo without reserve, her face practically buried in his shoulder.

After the haunted house, they went on a couple of roller coasters. Meiko screamed loudest, but it sounded more cheerful than terrified. They also rode the carousel, got balloons from a mascot and rode several more roller coasters.

"The Ferris wheel, the Ferris wheel!" The twins chanted. They tugged on her arm and she laughed.

"Alright, alright, the Ferris wheel next."

They cheered happily. "I've never been up in the air so high before!"

"This is going to be so fun!"

"Saki-dono, who would you prefer to ride with?"

"Well—"

"Pick us! Pick us!"

"Aw, I wanna ride with her too."

"I believe Luka, also, would—"

"Shut _up_, Gakupo!"

She couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up inside of her.

"In that case, let's just ride enough times that I can get a chance with all of you."

With a resounding "yes!" They all made their way to the line for the Ferris wheel. As it wasn't dark yet, most of the couples who would probably ride in the course of the evening hadn't approached, leaving not much of a line.

She rode with the twins first, since they were already tugging on her sleeves. They were like two excitable puppies as they looked out the windows, and she was glad that she was not afraid of heights, since their hopping around in the pod made it tilt back and forth a bit.

As soon as they reached the ground, Meiko dragged Luka, only slightly unwillingly, and the three of them took their turn. By the end, she had the sneaking suspicion that Luka was terrified of heights, at least from the way she had a death grip on her arm.

Gakupo bowed politely when it was his turn. "If I may," he said, before climbing into the pod to sit across from her.

They were mostly quiet for the a few minutes or so. Gakupo was the first to speak.

"So, are you feeling slightly happier now?"

She felt her heart give a little start, and she tried to smile. "What do you mean?"

He folded his hands on his lap. "Saki-dono, you might believe that you are hiding it well, but I know that I am the only one of us all who has noticed your demeanor has changed as of late."

She looked out the window. "I'm sorry that I've made you all worry."

"Is that all that you wish to say?"

"Yes. I'm sorry."

He sighed, and his smile was not quite happy. "As am I. It seems you are unwilling to rely on everyone, though they would most assuredly be there for you."

She shook her head. "It isn't that I don't want to rely on them. But there's something that I have to do. I need to…but there's nothing anyone can do to help. I know you all would be there for me. I really do, but this—this isn't something anyone else can help me with."

"Not even Kaito-dono?"

She chuckled softly. "What he wants to do more than anything is to stop me. But he won't. He knows I have to do this."

Gakupo's eyebrows knit together. "If it is dangerous, Saki-dono, I would advise you against it."

She shook her head. "The problem is, it's the only thing I can do."

"Saki-dono—"

The door opened before he could continue. She looked at him. "Sorry, Gakupo, our time seems to be up. Guess we need to get out now."

He rose slowly and stepped out first, but just as he was offering her a hand to help her out as well, Kaito slid by and climbed into the carriage, shutting the door behind him. The operator who was standing outside of the Ferris wheel looked momentarily annoyed, but Kaito motioned to him and he started the wheel's movement.

"Normally, Kaito, you have to get out first, and then get back in line. I don't think the operator likes you very much anymore."

He was silent, just like he usually was lately.

She looked out the window. "I know it might not look like it Kaito, but I did have fun today. You know that, right? I was just happy being with everyone. It's hard for me to smile these days, but…I was happy."

"You were?" His tone sounded at least a little less dark.

She nodded, leaning back into her seat. "Just…for a little while," she said quietly. Her voice carried in the small space. "For a short time, I closed my eyes, and I pretended…that I was a normal girl again. That I was just out, playing with my friends. It was…" she smiled. "It was a nice dream."

She could see that his hands were curled in fists—as he tried to not argue with her, she knew.

She turned her feet inward, watching as the toes of each shoe met. "Do you remember, Kaito? What you said to me last time we were here?" She leaned forward until she was practically hanging off the seat. "Since I won't be able to say it to you after tomorrow, I should say it now."

She paused to take a breath.

"I love you." She looked up at the ceiling, but it didn't help keep the tears from starting to roll down her face so she covered it with her hands instead. "I love you." She had thought that she would be able to keep her voice from shaking, but it betrayed her and did so anyways.

It hurt so much, saying it now, but she would have hurt more if she hadn't.

She bit her lip so hard she thought she was going to draw blood. She tried not to say it, but the words clawed their way out of her throat anyways. "Save me."

He lunged forward, grabbed her and sank to the bottom of the pod with her.

She couldn't help it. She didn't just cry. She wailed, loud, disjointed and trembling sounds.

"I keep thinking of her, of the little girl. How she looked at _me _and begged for help! How this is right and this needs to happen. But I'm scared!" She cried. "I don't want to. _I don't want to die!_"

She couldn't tell if he was trembling too, or if it was all her.

"Saki!" He whispered in her ear. He rocked them back and forth on the floor of the carriage.

But there was nothing else that he could say. With his acceptance of what she wanted to do, and the time that had already nearly slipped away, there was nothing else that he could do. And so they sat there, and he held her, and she cried.

When they got off of the Ferris wheel, she had dried her eyes. In the gathering dusk, the others could not see the redness of her eyes, or the lingering moisture that clung to her cheeks. Since they had already been out for several hours, they all voted to return.

In the dark, Kaito reached for her hand and held it tight.

"You aren't going to tell them at all," he said.

She shook her head even though he wouldn't be able to see it. "You could say that…it's my last bit of selfishness."

Ahead of them, she could see Rin and Len skipping. She thought she saw Luka's fingers brushing against Gakupo's, but she wasn't certain.

"Selfishness?"

"I…don't want to tell them goodbye. If I say it, then…I don't know if I can handle it—doing what I have to. I don't think I'd be able to not be sad, or to see their faces and see them be sad also."

"That really is selfish."

"I know. I'm sorry."

He gripped her hand tighter.

* * *

><p>Aneko: Song lyrics at the top from the anime <em>Full Moon wo Sagashite<em>, and is called _Eternal Snow_.


	23. This is not the end

Aneko: And this is the final chapter ladies and gentlemen. To those of you who may have stuck with it despite my sow updating, thank you. To those of you who may discover it after it has been completed and has begun to collect dust, thank you also. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own the thing. Sure wish I did. Vocaloid is owned by a famous Japanese company who is wonderful for making such a wonderful thing.

* * *

><p><strong>This is Not the End<strong>

_I know what it takes to move on,_

_I know how it feels to lie,  
>All I wanna do<br>Is trade this life for something new  
>Holding on to what I haven't got!<em>

_What was left when the fire was gone?  
>I thought I found right but that right was wrong.<br>All caught up in the eye of the storm.  
>I'm trying to figure out what it's like - moving on.<br>And I don't even know what kind of things I've said,  
>My mouth kept moving and my mind went dead.<br>So picking up the pieces, now, where to begin?  
>The hardest part of ending is starting all again.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>ONE YEAR LATER<strong>

**Document: Notes on the Investigation of the Yamaha company for illegal practices of human experimentation. Excerpt following from an interview with company member, Doctor Yamaha Daisuke, previous company president and father of current president.**

**Q**: Sir, would you please explain to us how exactly such an experiment could even be possible? If the young girl who was used by the company had died, how was it possible for the Hatsune Miku program to take over?

**Yamaha Daisuke**: Well, think of it like a person who has gone into an indefinite coma—that is to say, that a subject has gone brain-dead, but whose body can be preserved through life support. There are such cases, and the patient is kept alive through a machine. The Hatsune Miku 'program' behaved in a similar manner as a life support machine.

**Q**: But it's singing software, isn't this correct? That shouldn't be possible, should it?

**Yamaha Daisuke**: On the contrary, these programs were meant to think, to process things the way that humans do. In this case, it was a matter of survival. The program was not given the necessary equipment to function the way units like Shion Kaito were, so she needed some way to continue to work. Unlike the programs like Kaito, hers was adjusted to work without needing charging, but unless the body was viable, the program would be useless anyways, trapped in death. By connecting to the brain's electric signals and making the body go through everyday actions, such as eating and sleeping and exercising, Hatsune Miku was able to keep the body alive and use it.

**Q:** Then why did the program…'forget,' I suppose, the purpose it was originally intended for? It was meant to have one drive, singing, but did not begin doing so until years after the experiment had taken place.

**Yamaha Daisuke: **As much as I'd like to know the answer to that, I'm not sure if I ever will. The best I can do is make a guess. My belief is that in the brief moments at the beginning of the experiment, before the orphan girl passed away, she and Hatsune Miku had a connection, a link between their minds. If the child's thoughts and knowledge were integrated into the processes of the software, which was very new and had not yet processed much, then Hatsune Miku's original purpose might have been, in a way, overridden by the other girl's normalcy.

**Q:** What about the color of the hair and eyes beginning to change?

**Yamaha Daisuke: **In the original Hatsune Miku designs, we had a color pattern for her, the way the other Vocaloids did. Hers was a teal sort of color.

**Q:** Why did it only begin to show at the latest stages? Or rather, why did it change at all?

**Yamaha Daisuke**: It started when her condition was just beginning to take a turn for the worst. I believe this is because the medicine halted the change effectively, but once she stopped taking it, the process accelerated. As for why it changed, I'm still not sure. It may be possible that Miku was able to access the DNA and change it, but…there are a lot of things I can only speculate on as far as 'how.'

**Q:** If it was really able to, then—

**Yamaha Daisuke**: She.

**Q: **Excuse me?

**Yamaha Daisuke**: She. You have continued to refer to Fujita Saki and Hatsune Miku as an 'it.' I would like to ask you to stop doing so.

**Q**: I beg your pardon, Doctor Yamaha, but it is a program, and we are on official record, here.

**Yamaha Daisuke**: Official record or not, Inspector, please refer to her as she. Regardless of whether she is a program or not, there are many others who love her dearly for who she was.

**Q**: It sounds as though you are among those.

**Yamaha Daisuke**: Would I be sitting here, incriminating my own son if I did not? I regret many of the things that were done to Fujita Saki and Hatsune Miku. I could do nothing else for her but this. I am an old man, and I have made many mistakes. At least help me to honor the dead properly.

**Q: **Sir, why do you insist on calling the….subject…of the case with two names?

**Yamaha Daisuke:** Because by the end, I don't think she really thought of herself as either one. They were names that never really belonged to _her._

* * *

><p><strong>ELEVEN MONTHS AGO<strong>

When she arrived at the concert hall the next day, no one noticed her sneak in through the back door, so she leaned back against the wall to watch the preparations. She was absurdly early, so the stage crew was still doing their last minute checks on the sound systems and the light fixtures. As she looked around, she couldn't see any of her fellow Vocaloids, but her eyes caught sight of a familiar stoic woman pushing a wheelchair. Skirting along the wall so she didn't get in anyone's way, she made her way over to them.

"Daisuke-san, Noel-san, good afternoon."

"Saki-san..." Daisuke looked considerably more tired than he had the last time he had seen her. "Is it really already…?"

"I'm afraid so." She took a glance back at the workers, focused on their preparations. "Seeing everyone working so hard, though, I know I have to try my best too."

"I don't know how you can be so calm like this." She looked back to see that he had covered his face with a hand.

She shrugged. "If I'm not calm…or if I'm not pretending that I'm calm, I get a little overwhelmed."

"Saki-san, you—"

"Daisuke-san, thank you for helping me so much." She knelt down in front of his wheelchair, taking his hands. "And I'm sorry. I feel like I've disappointed you like this."

"If you're sorry, don't do this."

She got up again, and leaning over, wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "I'm sorry. Please help me just a little bit more," she whispered.

* * *

><p>The dressing room was half as loud as it usually was. Meiko and the twins were still plenty noisy, but Kaito was quiet, and so was she. Luka spoke to Gakupo in a low voice, but Saki could see them both occasionally looking her way. It wore on her heart every time.<p>

"They should be starting to let people into the audience hall right about now, right?" Meiko asked, in an attempt to liven up the atmosphere.

They stayed quiet, but everyone gave a small nod or a shrug.

She frowned at the lack of reaction, crossing her arms. "This party has gotten entirely too serious. What's gotten into you all?"

"Ah…sorry, Meiko. I'm just…thinking. That's all," Kaito said.

"what, and all of you are _thinking_ with those horrible scowls on your faces? What gives?"

Saki opened her mouth to respond, but a techie breezed in to say that they had five minutes to get ready. She held her tongue, watching as everyone made last minute adjustments to their costumes. There was a tight feeling in her chest.

They began to file quietly towards the stage, but Miku called out to them. "Everyone?"

They all paused, turning back to her.

She looked at each of the faces before her, looking at her in question. She smiled at them. "I just…wanted to say how happy I am to be here, with all of you beside me."

All of them, even Kaito, smiled at her, and for a moment, her stuttering heartbeat calmed. She wished she could capture that moment in her heart forever.

"I guess you aren't really a newbie anymore, huh?" Meiko said, tapping her chin.

"What do you mean? Saki-nee-chan—"

'—will always be nee-chan."

Kaito chuckled. "True enough. I guess the twins know best." He held out a hand to here. "Shall we go? People are waiting for you."

She took the hand offered, and they pulled her forward.

* * *

><p>Above the normal crowd milling about, the director sat in his private box, his legs crossed neatly in front of him. He sipped on a glass of wine, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at the clock on the wall. A smile twisted onto his face. "Well, almost time. Now that you've gotten me here, make sure you entertain me, my little mechanical puppets."<p>

* * *

><p>They waited below stage for the last few minutes. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. That awful feeling was back in her chest again. She needed to clear her mind, but there really wasn't time. Her teeth gritted together, until—<p>

On either side of her, and hand grasped her own. She looked left at Meiko, and right at Kaito. They smiled.

"We're always with you."

* * *

><p>The audience had escalated from a relaxed chatter to restless noise, but they quieted as the lights went dark and the piano music started. Only for a second though, as they began cheering an instant later. As the piano notes cascaded through the air, the platforms that each Vocaloid stood on rose out of the floor one at a time. Once they had all been raised to the stage, she walked forward to sing the first note to them all. She held a hand out to the audience<p>

_I don't want to forget these feelings I can't explain__  
>So I'm breaking the norm, deleting the provided layout<em>_  
>I'll sing my own song<em>_  
>And send the words once locked within my breast to the sky<em>

_These things I want to tell you__  
>The things I want to reach you<em>_  
>May they converge together<em>_  
>And reach out to you<em>

_All these words I want to tell you__  
>And this song I want you to hear<em>_  
>Everything is joined in a circle<em>_  
>Joining us all together<em>_  
>No matter where you may be…<em>

* * *

><p>Every song change was smooth, rehearsed and familiar to her. She had gotten so used to the rushing behind the stage as costumes and lights were changed, to weaving around people without bumping into any of them and breaking anyone's stride, that this was a dance routine of its own. She did her best to grab onto the image of everyone around her and press it into her memories.<p>

Before she knew it, the last song was creeping up on her. There were a few songs between her and the last song, so she took the opportunity to change slowly. As she settled her dress down on her hips, smoothing out the wrinkles, she felt eyes on her. She turned.

"Kaito…" He said nothing.

She heard the noise swell from the audience as a song ended.

Only one left before hers.

She bit her lip, took a deep breath and tried to clear her throat. "Well, this is it. I'll be going on in a few minutes."

Kaito nodded. "Good luck. You're going to be amazing."

"Thanks." She hesitated for a moment, but he said nothing else. "I guess…I'd better finish getting ready."

She headed towards the stage, but as she passed him, he grabbed her arm, and she didn't need to be told twice. Her legs changed course automatically so that she could find refuge against his chest. His arms wrapped around her. Tears gathered in her eyes.

"Saki," he whispered fiercely. "Don't leave me. Stay."

The words were like a drug, pulling at her sanity. The temptation lay before her, so easy that all she had to do was say a few measly words. She wiped tears from her yes, trying to smile. "I want to, but you know I can't Kaito. I have to make this right. You understand, don't you?"

He shook his head, his eyes hidden. "I don't think I do."

She stood on her tip toes so that she could see his face better. "It's like in Len's song—even if I'm reborn, I want to be able to meet again someday. So you'll be here when I get back, won't you?"

Kaito held her close again. "Of course. I'll always be waiting."

He looked down at her. "Close your eyes."

* * *

><p>"Hatsune-kun! You're on in two minutes!" A techie called from nearby.<p>

* * *

><p>She felt a soft sensation on her lips. It was warm and very gentle. As soon as she got her breath back, she felt Kaito move from her face to close to her ear.<p>

"A good luck charm," he whispered. "Never forget me."

"I won't. I promise."

He was holding her hand, and he kept holding it, following her until she started to walk onstage, and their fingers slipped apart.

_I love you all, and you will be my strength._

The stage was flooded in light. She took a deep breath and the words began to pour from her soul, faster than she had ever sung them before.

_After I'm born I finally realize  
><em>_I exist to imitate humans  
><em>_VOCALOID fated to sing forever  
><em>_Even if a song has already existed  
><em>_A programmed toy accepts it just fine  
><em>_Gnawing on a leek, looking up at the sky  
><em>_Shedding tears, noticing that even all that is fading  
><em>_Even songs depend on personality  
><em>_An unsteady source as foundation  
><em>_The place I came from already destroyed  
><em>_When everyone forgets me,  
><em>_My heart and its likeness will disappear  
><em>_I see the inevitable result  
><em>_Of an ending for a VOCALOID_

_"I wish that at the time when, I can't sing well  
><em>_You'd be with me...  
><em>_To stay by my side and cheer me up  
><em>_I want to see your happy face  
><em>_I've been practicing singing, so..."_

_Singing was once  
><em>_So much fun for me  
><em>_But now, why is it that  
><em>_I am not feeling anything anymore?_

_(...Forgive me...)_

_When I remember faces of people that I've missed,  
><em>_I feel a little more at ease  
><em>_The sounds I'm able to sing, get fewer every day  
><em>_The end is drawing near..._

_(EMERGENCY SYSTEM SHUTDOWN)_

_"What I believed in,  
><em>_A comforting fantasy  
><em>_Repeats itself endlessly in the mirror  
><em>_'Give up being a singer'  
><em>_You shouted violently..._

_-My farewell song at the highest speed-_

* * *

><p>Meiko flinched. "Eh, don't you think the lights seem kind of bright? I mean usually they're flashy, but isn't that a little much?"<p>

Gackupo watched Kaito out of the corner of his eye, noticing the other Vocaloid's teeth clenching and his hands tightening into fists.

* * *

><p>She struggled to take another breath. She could feel her body trembling and the feel the heartbeat that was struggling erratically. It was what she had wanted, yet it was so terrifying. She took another step. <em>Please, just a little longer. Just a few more moments…<em>

_"I... I want to sing...  
><em>_I still... I still want to sing...!"_ She all but screamed.

_After I'm born I finally realize  
><em>_I exist to imitate humans  
><em>_VOCALOID fated to sing forever  
><em>_Even if it's an existing song  
><em>_A programmed toy accepts it just fine  
><em>_Gnawing on a leek, looking up at the sky shedding tears  
><em>_I realize it's the end  
><em>_Falling asleep inside the monitor  
><em>_I guess this must be the "trash bin"  
><em>_Right now, my memories are also  
><em>_Closing off and disappearing...  
><em>_But you know, it's only you, that I won't forget  
><em>_We had fun times  
><em>_I wish that the taste  
><em>_Of chopped leek would still stay..._

The music volume increased, and the crowd's cheering with it, and she pushed the words from her mouth.

_I'm singing to the end, just for you  
><em>_Songs that I want you to hear  
><em>_I'd want to sing more  
><em>_But that's too much to wish for  
><em>_This is where we part  
><em>_All my feelings disappear into thin air  
><em>_Reducing to 0's and 1's  
><em>_The fairy tale, curtain is falling  
><em>_Leaving nothing behind here  
><em>_That's a little sad, isn't it?  
><em>_Everything except the memories of a voice  
><em>_Is fading, leaving only a name  
><em>_But if, say, I know that  
><em>_It is not what h__e __wished for.  
><em>_Singing it all to the end  
><em>_Was not in vain, is what I want to think_

She looked at them all, taking one more breath.

"Thank you, and...

goodbye..."

Her legs locked beneath her, and the lights went black.

* * *

><p>Daisuke slumped back in his chair, covering his eyes with a hand.<p>

"An irreversible error has occurred. An irreversible error has…"

* * *

><p>"That was amazing!" Rin clapped her hands, smiling.<p>

"Yeah, Miku-nee-san sounded really emotional," Len agreed, nodding.

"Now I see why she wanted to be the one to end the concert…Hm?" Rin looked over her brother's shoulder. "What are you doing on the floor, Kaito-nii? Someone might trip over you."

"Kaito-nii-san, you look tired. Are you okay?"

Kaito gritted his teeth.

"_It's like Len's song..."_

There was a burning sensation in the back of his throat, which was strange.

_"If I'm reborn, I want to be able to meet again someday…"_

"Eh—no way?! Kaito-nii, are you crying?!"

_"So you'll be here when I get back, won't you?"_

Kaito covered his face with one hand.

"Always."

* * *

><p>Saito gritted his teeth and jumped out of his chair. So <em>that<em> was why they had asked him to attend. It was probably that old man's doing. Getting his own creation to rebel this way was something he would do.

"Stop right there."

Surprise, more than anything else froze him in his tracks. He turned, and his eyes widened when he saw the young woman in the wheelchair at the base of the stairs. She smiled up at him.

"Hello, father."

"M-maria?!"

"It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm sure that right now you would prefer to be on your way to scold Grandfather, but that can wait. We need to talk." She reached for the attendant behind her, and he picked her up, carrying her up the stairs and setting her gently in a chair. She rearranged her skirt carefully before meeting his gaze again. "I was approached by a young woman several weeks ago. I was surprised, until she gave me a very interesting request."

"I hardly think this needs to be discussed _now_, Maria," Saito snapped, stepping by her. He made to go down the stairs, but Maria's attendant stepped in front of him, grabbing Saito's arm. Saito winced as the metal fingers, which looked so deceptively human, gripped him tight enough to bruise.

"Oh, but it does." She gave him a beautiful, insincere smile. "On behalf of Fujita Saki, an unnamed orphan girl, _and_ Hatsune Miku….let's talk about your retirement."

* * *

><p><strong>Q:<strong>So?

**Yamaha Daisuke:** Hm?

**Q: **That's not the end, is it? What happened after that?

**Yamaha Daisuke: **As you know, my son was quickly incarcerated and charged with several crimes, and Fujita Saki and Hatsune Miku's decision was told to those close to her. They of course did not take it well. I think that they were….somewhat able to understand the hardships that she went through, though of course they couldn't quite agree with what she had done. I assume that's why she didn't tell them, for fear that they would stop her. I wish I had not met her. If…if I had never met her, never created that medicine, perhaps she….would have simply stopped Vocaloid at the point where she could no longer sing, and she would still be alive, enjoying her family and friends…

**Q:** W-wait, that's it? You said that you had planned to try to preserve her brain, didn't you? That in theory you would be able to keep her brain activity alive somehow…

(Here, the witness was silent for a very long time. This section of the tape has been removed for official use.)

**Yamaha Daisuke:** I'm afraid that…we were unable to transfer it. We were unsuccessful. I just hope that wherever she is, she is happier than she was…before.

**Q: **She—the girl did that knowing that there might be no hope of coming back?

**Yamaha Daisuke:** She did. In her eyes…the body wasn't hers, and never had been. In order to bring to light what Saito had been doing, she wanted to scientifically document what would happen if she stopped taking my medicine, all the way up until...her body could no longer bear the strain. She was certain that it would keep him from being able to do something so grotesque again.

**Q: **So her motive for her own death was revenge?

**Yamaha Saito:** Don't you dare belittle her like that. She did this so that no other little girl would have to face the same thing ever again. I asked her—asked her what she would do if she just knew that he would never try the same thing again, and she told me that she would have kept singing, even with him being the sort of man that he was. Because that was the sort of girl that she was. So don't go saying that she was on some revenge scheme. She just didn't want others to have the same thing happen to them.

**Q: **Thank you for your time, sir. I think that's all the questions we have for you. With this, the investigation is complete.

**Yamaha Saito: **Then I guess from this point on, it really is the disappearance of Hatsune Miku.

* * *

><p>Aneko: Quote at the top: This is Not the End, sung by Linkin Park.<p>

Songs in the middle: Tell Your World and The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku, by Hatsune Miku.

LIQU sings the most emotional version of The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku that I've ever heard.


	24. Epilogue

Aneko: Well, I did say that that chapter I posted was the last chapter, but I don't think I told you that there would be an epilogue, so here it is!

Disclaimer: For the last time (In this fanfiction, at least), I will not claim ownership of Vocaloid. They are property of certain Japanese companies.

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><p><em><strong>Epilogue<strong>_

"Kaito-san! Kaito-san, where are you?"

A young woman's voice echoed throughout the large house as she traversed a hallway in search of the man whose name she called.

"Kaito-sa—" Hastily, she covered her mouth. Within the room she had just entered, a man was asleep on a bed, his limbs tangled up in the sheet that covered him.

The girl looked down at the floor. Sure enough, there was music scattered everywhere, over the table and on the floors. Careful not to step on any of the papers, she crossed the room to stand by the bed where Kaito slept. She could hear the soft mechanical whirring from his unit's hard drive, still active since he hadn't completely powered down. She rocked back and forth on her heels a few times, deciding. Eventually she squatted down by his head to call into his ear.

"_Kaito-saaaaan_."

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><p>Someone was calling his name. Her voice sounded familiar. Kaito stirred.<p>

"_It's time to wake up noooooow."_

He jolted awake. "Saki?!"

Miku blinked, surprised by his outburst. "Who's Saki? Your girlfriend? It's just me."

Kaito sighed and ran a hand through his hair, trying to muster a smile. "Oh, hi Miku-chan. Did you need something?"

"I wanted a new song to work on, but I couldn't find any in the database."

Kaito scratched his head. "Huh. Guess we need to update the system. That makes how many songs you've learned this week?"

"Thirteen!" Miku beamed, clasping her hands together and rocking back and forth on her heels again.

"Wow, you've really been busy."

"Well, Dr. Yamaha did give me the latest hard drive model to date, so I process pretty quickly. Speaking of which…" Miku cocked her head to the side. "You seem really tired lately, Kaito-san. Have you had your software updated anytime recently? You might need it."

Kaaito sighed and gave her a small smile. "Thanks for your concern, Miku-chan." He ruffled her hair before swinging his legs over the bed to stand. "Now let me see what song I can find for you. I have a few hard copies lying around that never found their way into the main computer."

He rummaged through a few piles of paper on the floor. "Ah, here's one. Have you learned this yet?"

Miku loked at the title of the piece. "No, not yet. It looks like a good one, though."

"Yeah. I thought you'd like it."

"Okay. I'm going to go work on it now. Thanks, Kaito-san!" Miku waved and disappeared out the door.

Kaito stretched his arms above his head. Outside, a bird was singing. It seemed like a shame to put his unit back to sleep, so Kaito grabbed some music from the floor and headed downstairs. As he walked, he couldn't help but remember.

"_Kaito..I know this is going to be hard for you, but we don't know for sure. There's no guarantee that her memories will ever return. We don't even know if her personality is going to be the same…are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to."_

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><p>"<em>No, please. I…couldn't help Saki. At least let me be there for this girl, who is so new to this world."<em>

_"Are you sure?"_

"Yes. I'm sure."

"_If it's what you really want, then okay."_

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><p>Kaito opened the back door to go out to the garden.<p>

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><p>"<em>Since you're going to be watching over her, Kaito, I want you to move into my mansion as well.<em>

"_Are you sure, Daisuke-sama?"_

"_If it's you…if it's you, maybe she'll remember."_

"_Thank you."_

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><p>It was a beautiful day outside. Kaito shut his eyes as a breeze wafted up, stirring the grass at his feet as the flowers nodded their sunny heads. He stepped out onto a stone path, heading to the gazebo, a delicate white structure steeped in the shadow of a willow tree. He sat and pressed his back against the wooden latticework that made up the sides.<p>

He could still remember everyone's faces, as he gathered them in the dressing room at the concert's end to tell them what had happened without their knowledge. Gackupo had looked rather resigned, as though he had guessed what Kaito had wanted to say, while Luka sat quietly, staring intensely at the table in front of her. Gakupo was holding one of her hands.

Meiko and the twins were far from silent, though. Meiko especially. She raged about the room shouting and kicking at some of the chairs before dropping back down into a seat with a quivering lip.

It was also the first time that Len had ever been more talkative than his sister, asking Kaito question after question about the events that led up to the decision. He answered every question, since it was the only thing he could actually do.

How could three years have already passed since that night? The pain still felt so fresh he almost couldn't believe it. He closed his eyes. Three years since the concert. Two years since Yamaha Saito had been imprisoned, and one and a half years since Hatsune Miku had been officially created.

A Hatsune Miku who had no memories of him. Daisuke had told him that the chances that they would successfully be able to transfer Fujita Saki's thoughts and memories would be slim to none, that if the transferred part of Saki didn't take hold within the first few months, the likelihood was that she would never come back. Kaito still wasn't sure what had been involved in keeping Saki's memories had been, just that Daisuke had said that because of her Vocaloid software, some of her memories could have been automatically transferred over the years.

Now that he knew that this had been an incorrect assumption, he wished that Daisuke had never tried to give him any hope at all. It just hurt that much more.

Kaito inhaled (such a human gesture. Maybe this was "coping").

He gritted his teeth. "You promised."

The sheet music he had taken down with him was still in his hands. He looked at it. It had taken him days to try to come up with the short song. He really was starting to show his age. The new Vocaloids that Daisuke had recently created were able to created a passable song within one to two days. He wasn't even sure if he'd be able to ever write another one again. This one had just been thought, more than anything, all his pain inked onto the page because it had nowhere else to go.

He closed his eyes and paused before he began the song. His left his voice soft at first—he couldn't bring himself to be any louder, like the word were something he might not be allowed to say. But as he got farther into the song and lost himself in it, his voice rose, rolling into deeper tones.

_Where are you now, what are you doing?__  
>Are you in this endless sky?<em>

_I realized for the first time  
><em>_I've lost the things that have filled my heart till now  
><em>_How much you supported me  
><em>_How much you made me smile_

Inside the mansion, Miku paused. "Kaito-san is singing? How rare." She moved out of her room and out onto the patio in the back so that she could hear him better.

_That I'd lost them was too much to consider__  
>Even though I struggled so desperately to reach out my hand and take them back<em>_  
>Like the wind they slipped through, looking as though they would reach me, but did not<br>_

She gave a small chuckle. "But this sounds too sad. It sounded better when we sang Cantarella together on the way to the…" She stopped, frowning. "Huh? Just now…"

_My chest was tightened by loneliness and despair__  
>My heart felt like it would break<em>_  
>But your smiling face remained in my memories<em>_  
>Always encouraging me<br>Let's return to those days once more__  
>I know it will be alright this time<em>_  
>Always smiling at your side<em>_  
>Close by your side<br>_

She flinched, blinking as she stared down at her hands. "What was I…? Aren't I…forgetting something…?"

She held back a cry as her body locked in place and she felt information flooding through her mind too fast.

_Where are you now, what are you doing?__  
>Are you in this endless sky?<em>_  
>Will you smile for me like always?<em>_  
>Right now, it's all I continue to ask for<br>_

He finished the song and had just fallen silent when he heard a shout.

"_KAITO!_"

His body jerked, and he shakily turned towards the porch.

"M-Miku-chan…?" He asked, quietly. His eyebrows knitted together. She was standing slightly hunched over, her hands close to her chest. His first reaction was that something was wrong, and he jumped off of the bench to go help her and possibly call for Daisuke.

And then she called for him again.

"_Kaito!"_It was partly a cry, partly a yell. He realized before she stumbled off of the patio to run towards him, nearly tripping in her haste. He barely had time to run down the gazebo stairs before she reached him, colliding with his chest.

"I told you," she murmured. "That I wanted to be able to meet again, didn't I?"

For a moment, he didn't—couldn't—believe it. But then she looked up at him, and that smile, a smile he remember from a girl those three years ago, beamed up at him.

"Thank you for waiting for me for so long."

He wrapped his arms around her as tight as he could.

"Welcome home."

_You're here; I definitely feel you__  
><em>_We are in a single spot of sunshine__  
><em>

_Don't forget, I am always calling out to you__  
><em>_From the inside of the same marble__  
><em>_Yes, surely we will encounter each other__  
><em>_When we raise the cross in our sunken reasons__  
><em>_Our promise will be finished__  
><em>_We will become one_

**THE END**

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><p>Aneko: Ahaha, I hate tragedy. :D It's too sad (No I'm not trying to be smart...) But there you have it. The now, honest-to-goodness end of it. The songs are <em>You: Visionen im Spiegel<em>, from the anime Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni which I don't own (and haven't seen. I don't like disturbing things either), and the other is a excerpt from _Karma_, which is by Bump of Chicken and also doesn't belong to me.

Again, thanks for sticking to the end with me. I had fun. ;P


End file.
